


Daughter of the Future

by Percygranger



Series: A Minor Practitioner [2]
Category: The Covenant (2006)
Genre: Bechdel Test Pass, F/M, Fix-It, Magic, Magic-Users, POV Female Character, Why yes I am addressing the rampant misogyny of the canon, why do you ask?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 05:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4422512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Percygranger/pseuds/Percygranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A huge thank you to Imera for <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4420358">her lovely art!</a></p><p>Originally started for Yuletide 2014, this simply got too big for me to finish in time! So, many thanks to the WIP BB, without which this fic would have never been finished in any timely manner (if at all), and to my betas desiderii and abriata. All remaining mistakes are mine alone.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Daughter of the Future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlerhymes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlerhymes/gifts).



> A huge thank you to Imera for [her lovely art!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4420358)
> 
> Originally started for Yuletide 2014, this simply got too big for me to finish in time! So, many thanks to the WIP BB, without which this fic would have never been finished in any timely manner (if at all), and to my betas desiderii and abriata. All remaining mistakes are mine alone.

“I thought we were going to a beach party?” Sarah asked, looking past the windshield to where Kate had directed her to park. Giant trees loomed all around them, their bulk creating a gloom that surpassed the dying light of the day. 

Kate grinned, white teeth gleaming. “Just follow me.” And then she got out of Sarah’s car, looking expectant.

Sarah shook her head, and followed, trailing Kate on a path that went from massively old forest to sandy beach grass without much of anything in between. 

Sarah tried not to gawk like the new person she was. The party was set at a lower spot in the sand, making them walk down a shifting hill to get there. Wind made the staggered circle of tiki torches flicker, their posts defining the perimeter of the gathering. The light wasn’t necessary yet, the setting sun making a more brilliant fire than humans ever could. It smelled like the ocean under the gasoline, a large bonfire going up in a whoosh of flame as they passed, long logs leaning in towards the center. A DJ on a platform was setting up, tinkering with wires and making minute adjustments to his equipment.. 

Sarah could see drinks being distributed from coolers, the other students chatting happily, the atmosphere a thrill of illicit excitement. At least it was to her. Sarah hadn’t done all that much besides use a fake ID to get in a bar or a club occasionally. She liked to think she was one of the better behaved kids: no major drugs tried, just some alcohol and a puff or two of less legal substances. If anything, her parents had done more than she ever has. Getting into the mood of magic sometimes took a bit of a trip, so they said. 

Sarah had never needed anything to feel the future. It just happened to her, nothing besides a trigger of a person or object required. While she could see how they might want to attain the same thing, she did wonder if it was worth the effort. Thankfully, nothing was tugging at her now.

“Beer?” a guy asked, brandishing a low cost label at them.

Kate turned to look at Sarah quizzically. 

Sarah shrugged. “Why not?” Even if it didn’t taste good, it’d help her fit in, and might take the edge off her nervousness about being a near complete stranger here. She clenched at the bag in her pocket once, reminding herself that she was never really alone, before accepting the cold bottle. 

Kate twisted off the cap with an air of experience, tossing it back in the cooler, so Sarah followed suit. They walked around the edges of the party, following the lines of tiki torches. 

“So, who do you want the scoop on? Boys, girls? Both, neither?” 

Sarah looked over, surprised. “Uh, boys? I mean, either is good. I’m just trying to find the lay of the land right now.” 

Kate nodded wisely. “I gotcha.” Her eyes narrowed as she looks out at the filling crowd. “Pretty slim pickings right now. Problem with smaller towns, everybody knows everybody. If you haven’t dated them you think of them as your siblings.” 

Sarah hummed in acknowledgement, taking a look for herself. The boys and girls here were a pretty bunch, their clothes as scant as their fabrics were rich. The wind whipped around them, chilling even in the last gasps of warm summer air, not helped by the sweating beer she held. “Let’s get closer to the fire.” 

“Sounds good to me!” Kate grabbed her hand and they moved into the crowd. Music started up, loud and incomprehensible. “I think it’s time to dance!” 

And they did, moving to the sounds booming from the speakers, mostly keeping to themselves, although the occasional circle of girls formed. Sarah laughed as Kate struck ridiculous poses, feeling herself relax into the experience. 

It was dark by the time they took a break, walking up and down the beach before returning to the bonfire to warm up again. Kate took over her job as tour guide, pointing out the “okay, but really, he’s like a brother to me” guys, as well as “Aaron Abbot, total prick, treats girls like dirt” of a boy with a magnificent mane of hair, at the top of the hill, a plain girl in his arms.

Just about that time, Sarah noticed four silhouettes walking down the hill. Kate lit up when she saw them. 

“Who are they?” Sarah asked.

“The sons of Ipswich!” Kate replied, watching as they came closer, a delighted grin transforming her face. 

Sarah grinned a bit helplessly in response. Boys with a group name usually meant interesting things.

“Kate!” A tall, dark-haired boy was at the lead, smiling as he greeted Sarah’s roommate. Kate responded in kind, and Sarah watched. 

“Tyler Sims, Pogue Parry-” Sarah marked off this one as Kate’s boyfriend. Long curling hair, less kept up than Aaron’s, wide shoulders. Their attraction was obvious, as they gravitated together almost instantaneously. 

“-Reid-”

“Garwin. Reid Garwin,” The blond boy, his not-quite bowl cut reminding Sarah of a Backstreet Boy, hastened to introduce himself. “Sarah, that’s a pretty name, reminds me of my grandmother.”

“I’m Caleb Danvers,” the tall one said in a surprisingly deep voice, cutting in himself, “and you don’t remind me of my grandmother a bit.”

“Good,” Sarah said, aiming a smile his way. 

“Caleb!” Another girl inserted herself into the mix, Sarah belatedly recognizing her as the other half of Aaron’s couple. It was getting crowded here. Kate hadn’t told her these were the popular boys. 

“Kira,” that deep voice acknowledged. Sarah noticed the caution with which Caleb said the word. Maybe Aaron wasn’t the only person to be wary of.

Her thoughts were confirmed not five seconds later, when Kira fulfilled Kate’s prophecy about how people would react to her less-than-blue blood background. “So tell me, how does one get into Spenser from a Boston public?”

And the boys defending her led to Aaron coming by, eyes bright with aggression, doing his best to start a fight on the basis of protecting his current girlfriend. 

Sarah didn’t like how this was going. 

“Actually, I think it’s Kira who owes Sarah an apology.” Caleb spoke up in her defense.

Sarah smiled tightly at them, trying to get this done and over before a fight broke out.

Then another boy stumbled in. This was starting to feel like a Three Stooges act. The “new guy” Kate had identified earlier didn’t look completely sober, and definitely wasn’t improving the situation.

“Well, you were being kind of bitchy.” 

Sarah was about to intervene, grab an arm and pull someone away, protest that this was unnecessary. But then a spike of magic caught Sarah’s attention, and a boy standing behind them vomited on Aaron’s back, distracting everyone. Sarah leaned back from the smell. It was gross, but at least no one was fighting?

Then an announcement by the DJ: “-Cop cars on Old Dell Road!” 

That started a mass exodus. They were running, the group in flight before anything else could be done. After such a leisurely start, the party was ending in fast-paced chaos. Sarah couldn’t help but grin as she ran with the others towards their cars. They sorted out who was riding with whom quickly, the us against them, students against cops, forming a group bond even with relative strangers.

The new guy spoke up, “I could use a ride.” 

Kate didn’t check with Sarah before offering a seat to him, who introduced himself as Chase. Sarah focused on the real priority. They’d sort it out after avoiding arrest.

“Go go go!” Kate said, buckling herself in hurriedly.

Sarah turned the key...but of course, now would be a time her car wouldn’t start. That instant of panic (getting arrested her first week there would be entirely too embarrassing) morphed into vibrant relief as Reid noticed their plight, and showed his worth. He ducked under the hood, and revealed himself as the source of the magic she’d felt earlier. Sarah was only glad they had a helpful telekinetic technomage around. 

“Thank you!”

They drove off, Kate directing her through the trees back to the road. There were sounds of sirens and glimpses of flashing lights, but none came near them, thankfully.

She drove slowly on the way to the dorms, interjecting occasionally in the lively conversation Kate started with Chase.

“Did your ride disappear?”

“Yeah, friend of my roommate’s, another new guy. I didn’t want to try and find him in this chaos. He wasn’t all that friendly anyways.” Chase seemed more sober now, which was a relief. Taking care of drunk people wasn’t really something she wanted to do tonight.

“So, where are you from?” 

“Oh, just upstate.”

“Nice! They’ve got great academics there, what prompted the move?”

“The swim team? I just needed a change, really…”

“Sarah here’s a newbie too, and I’m always around if you’ve got a question, okay?”

“Sounds great.” 

Sarah checked her mirror at that moment, still slightly worried about cops, and caught Chase’s grin, friendly enough to be flirty. 

Sarah parked, and they walked inside together. The building was creepier than she remembered it being in daylight, the gothic structures looming against the night sky. The halls were empty, too.

“We must be the last ones in,” Chase said, pausing at their door as they found their keys. 

Again, Kate took the initiative. “Hey, we’re going to town tomorrow to pick up some things, if you want to come?” 

“Sure.” Again, the flirtatious grin. Kate grinned right back. 

The moment was broken by a spider. It wasn’t the first Sarah had seen, as Kate said, they were everywhere. Honestly, Sarah didn’t mind them. In her tradition, spiders were wise, protective, even. Smart, too. But yeah, they could definitely be creepy. 

Chase took up the task of killing it, sparing Kate’s feelings, at least. 

“I guess chivalry isn’t dead after all,” Sarah said.

“No, it just transferred in,” Kate replied, a gleam in her eye.

Sarah could admire Kate’s facility at flirting, but once they got inside she asked, “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” 

Kate laughed. “Doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun. Pogue needs to learn to control his jealousy, anyway.”

“So you’re graciously giving him the opportunity?” Sarah asked, deadpan.

“Exactly.” Kate’s smile was all self-satisfaction.

“So...why do you call them the sons of Ipswich?”

Kate launched into a strangely familiar explanation about five families, power, and witch-burning. Sarah didn’t like it in the least, although it was obviously just a fun, spooky story to Kate.

“Awesome, huh?”

“Or creepy,” Sarah finished, and headed out to the shower, more unsettled than she’d like.

*&*&*

The showers here were over the top, Sarah decided, checking out the full-sized stalls, covered in marble, looking doubtfully at her hand through the scant protection of opaque glass. Did she really want to see or be seen by other girls while they showered? She was used to cubicles and curtains and casual nudity for physical education, not this...sensualist view. 

Shaking her head, Sarah stripped down, set up her supplies, and turned the water on. The steam and familiar perfumes of her soap and shampoo filled her senses, wiping away the smell of smoke, as she got down to the familiar business of washing up. 

The people here were definitely more privileged than her last school. But now that she’d met and understood the look of when someone was trying to shame her for lack of...whatever, and seen how little it mattered to others, Sarah thought she could manage. Nothing quite like having to deal with a new pecking order. It was weird that she was looking forward to it, in a way. A fresh start, no preconceptions based on her parents or her previous years, just ignorance, something for her to make her own stamp on. 

She was just finishing up, lingering in the hot water a bit, when a light flashed, the noise of it startling her. Sarah wrapped up in her towel, regretting the meager protection of it as she walked out to see what had happened. Steam was lingering in the air, ghostly. A sense of presence was strong as Sarah swept the room slowly. She looked under the bathroom stalls, willing to risk a bit of embarrassment to get to the bottom of this. It could just be a stupid prank on the new girl.

A light bulb was lying shattered on the floor, adding evidence to human involvement. Things just didn’t do that without cause, and the glass on this was thicker than the bulbs she’d used at home, not likely to break.

And then she felt it, hair rising on her neck, someone behind her. Her shoulder prickled with cold, and she gasped out a shriek, turning. But there was no one there when she whirled. A strangely empty resonance echoing back at her, swirling in the heated mist.

That was it, she was done for tonight. Leaving her shower things for the morning, Sarah set off down the hall, holding her towel carefully. The short walk was not at all reassuring, and then Reid was there, and Sarah shrieked again, louder, in the face of someone actually there. 

“Easy, easy.” 

Sarah wasn’t sure what to make of this. The one magic-user she’d pinpointed here showing up after she’d just gone through something spooky? Either Reid was an idiot prankster, unable to resist coming back to the scene of the crime, or maybe this was a schtick, an easy way to get girls. 

“Sorry, it was just… I could swear someone was in the bathroom.”

Reid’s eyebrows rose. “Let’s go see.”

Sarah followed him back down the hallway, into the dim yellow light of the bathroom. All was as she’d left it, but Reid’s energy didn’t feel right. Not the same as the one before. The other had been...cold and calculating, intense. Reid’s was scattered, puppylike, trying to gain her affection with gestures of assistance and protection.

His semi-condescending chivalry, ‘searching’ the bathroom, was definitely a different side to him than the eager verbal fumbling of before, at least. It was awkward, standing in her towel outside the door. 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later…”

But damn, he was a pretty puppy. Sarah looked him up and down one last time. Possible pranking magic boy band member or not, that body was hard not to notice.

Settling into bed, assured the door was locked, Sarah tried to decide. Was Reid a helpful, if indiscreet, telekinetic technomage? Or something worse? She didn’t like the feeling that was starting to overtake her here, the weird echoes of reality that happened when a future vision was coalescing. Whatever it was, the future didn’t seem bright. 

She scrolled through her phone to look at the name and phone number her dad had given her the day she’d moved. Maybe they should meet, just in case.

*&*&*

The morning went easier after that. Sarah remembered to retrieve her shower things, telling Kate about the light bulb. 

“I’ll tell the campus people. Weird how that happened. It’s a joke that those things have been here since the building was built, actually.”

“Huh.”

She didn’t get a chance to call Mrs. Kalin the next morning, as Kate rushed them out the door, grabbing Chase as they head towards the town proper. 

Sarah watched with doubtful amusement as Kate and Chase flirted shamelessly once again as they drove to town. Sure, it could be harmless, and she definitely wasn’t in charge of either of them, but it could easily create drama she didn’t want to be involved in. Chase seemed nice. A magic null to her senses, the usual. 

They browsed the pharmacy-cum-little grocery store, smaller than Sarah had expected, picking up snacks and water, random school supplies, trying on the silly hats for a laugh, and then there was Caleb, little white bag of medicine in hand. Sarah felt a pang in her stomach, looking at him. Something about him, more than just his good looks, was calling to her. 

While she was trying to sort it out, the others arranged to go see a movie. She claimed (truthfully) to have seen it, Kate’s bright, encouraging smile urging her towards possibility.

Caleb looked over, expression curious. “Do you want to run errands with me?” 

“...Sure.”

*&*&*

They walked around town, picking up dry cleaning, stopping at a bank where the tellers called Caleb by name. 

“Everybody knows you here, huh?” Sarah teased, once they were leaving.

“They respect my family’s money, if nothing else.” Caleb’s deep voice sent a shiver down her spine, and Sarah found herself trying to provoke more of it. 

They kept talking as Caleb drove them into the countryside, pointing out the sights. Sarah took it all in avidly. The scenic road wound near the coast, woods stretching right up to the edge of the water with only the smallest sandy beaches between. It was a beautiful autumn day, enough to leave the top of the convertible down, the leaves turning brilliant warm colors. They turned onto a dark dirt and gravel road, covered with small shallow potholes filled with water. A thin blanket of mist coated the roads, winding between the trees. It was invisible up close, just a slight moisture to the air, but far away it was a transparent film, blocking vision.

“That’s the old Putnam barn,” Caleb said as they passed a large gray wooden structure. “This place for miles around is where the original Ipswich colony was.” 

“That’s so cool.” Sarah stared at it as they passed, her smile fading slightly. Something was wrong. But it wasn’t something strong, and she wasn’t here to interfere with the future, not when she had her own to study for. Not to mention the very handsome boy in the seat next to hers.

Caleb kept the conversation going after that. “So what brought you to Spencer?” 

“Uh, scholarship?” Sarah hedged. 

“But why Spencer?” Caleb looked over at that.

“I...want to go to Harvard.” Sarah found herself compelled to honesty, unsure of the reception when it wasn’t family, or a school counselor. Her former friends had laughed. 

“My dad was class of ‘81.” The words were casual, thrown out there like she’d claimed to be from another state and he had a cousin who lived there. One of those associations that make people feel more connected. 

Sarah smiled. “That’s so cool.” A pause. “Kate told me he passed away.”

Caleb glanced over again, “You and Kate talked about me?” There were slivers of surprise and hope in his tone. 

“Well, you know, just girl stuff.” Sarah winced internally as she spoke. 

Caleb nodded, a big grin on his face, and Sarah looked away. 

Another pause, another turn. They really were going into the country. “What are you going to major in?” Caleb asked. “If you want to go, I figure you’ve got a career plan…”

“Oh yeah,” Sarah laughed, “I’m going to be a doctor. Medical. Not sure which specialty yet, maybe internist.” 

“Are you sure you’re not sure?” Caleb teased. 

“Definitely,” Sarah answered, grinning over at him.

*&*&*

The light was starting to fade as they pulled up to a wooden fence, the old wood solid but grayed. Beyond it was a large, three story house, wood paneling only broken up by the regularity of the windows, marching in stern rows. It looked old.

“This is our family’s first colony house.” Caleb’s voice was a low rasp, almost a whisper.

“Wait, somebody lives here?”

“Ah, just our caretaker Gorman.”

Now that was a name straight out of Frankenstein or something. Sarah was trying to decide if she was going to sit in the car or go in, when a shot banged out. Sarah jerked between looking at the building and Caleb, automatically hunching in her seat, trying to find who had shot, seeing if Caleb was hurt. Maybe this was what her bad feeling had been about?

He seemed fine though, standing almost casually, one hand clutching the small white pharmacy bag. 

“Gorman! It’s me, it’s okay!” Caleb called, and told Sarah, “He doesn’t see that well anymore.”

A rough male voice came from inside the house. “Who’s with you?”

“Just a friend!” Caleb voice rising to a shout on the last word. He turned to Sarah. “Be right back, okay?” He was obviously in a hurry to do this and leave.

“Okay,” Sarah said, and turned to watch the house again, staying a bit low in case there was another shot. Would the windshield glass hold against a bullet? She doubted it.

Watching Caleb walk inside, Sarah realized this place was seriously spooky. A horror movie waiting to happen. Seriously, a mostly blind caretaker firing shots off when someone approached? Sarah was glad to stay in the car while Caleb delivered the medicine. She looked around. It seemed colder than it had on the road, mist covering the drive in. The swirls of it reminded her of the shower, that cold, intent, but somehow empty resonance.

But that was her imagination, she knew. Sarah huffed and clutched at the bag in her pocket, focusing on positive thoughts. She watched the uppermost window’s curtain move, a vague outline of a person showing, as she created a mental picture of a bubble around her, air clear of all impurities, and focused on it, breathing with her own intent. She wasn’t sure if the nebulous presence outside her safe space actually went away, but it helped her calm down, at least. 

She was still glad when Caleb came out, smelling a little bit like old rot, looking a little stressed, but definitely as happy to see her as she was him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Caleb put the keys in the engine, and asked, “So, do you want to shower or change first?”

“Why? Sarah asked. 

“We’re going to Nicki’s.” Caleb said it like of course she would know this.

“What’s Nicki’s?” Sarah asked, willing to play along.

Caleb’s grin at this was cute, but reminded her something of Reid. “It’s a bar we hang out at. Music, pool, so on.”

“And they don’t mind you’re underage?” 

“Nah, they know us there.” Caleb shrugged, like this was no big deal.

“Okay then.” 

*&*&*

It didn’t take long to change into a dress, refresh her makeup, and put just a bit of perfume on. They pulled up to a low building, long and dark, the sound of music muffled by the metal walls going up in volume every time the door opened. 

Caleb led the way in. It was crowded inside, filled with nearly equal numbers of men and women, the ages ranging from their own to mature adults. Threading their way past couples dancing, they found a place to sit near the foosball table. 

“You hungry?” Caleb called over the noise. 

“Yeah,” Sarah replied, and chose from the limited options that a bar provided.

It didn’t take long for Kate to show up, her grin bright, Chase in tow. 

“So, how was it?” 

“It was great! Brad Pitt...god, that man can act.” Kate fanned herself. 

“And he’s kinda cute, too,” Chase added, with a sly grin. 

Sarah laughed. “So, you guys come here often?” She looked between Kate and Caleb at that.

“Eh, often enough.” Kate shrugged. 

“Just to get away from school on the weekends, you know?” Caleb said. “Otherwise we’re excellent, rule-abiding students.” His face was almost perfectly straight, but then his lips cracked into a smile, rousing the same in all of them. 

Pogue arrived soon after, his hair wind or helmet blown, and his temper up, apparently, at the mention of Chase, but restrained himself. “You want something to eat?” He directed this at Kate. 

“I’ll pick at whatever you’re having,” Kate said

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief at his retreat. 

Then, Caleb challenged Chase to a foosball match, leaving Sarah and Kate at the table, and Pogue came back...but joined the boys’ game.

“Okay, what just happened?” Sarah questioned. 

“What?”

“Well, we were sitting here together having fun, and now we’re watching them have fun.”

Kate smiled and waved it off. “That just what girls do? You know boys and their toys…”

Sarah looked around the room speculatively and demanded a quarter. Thankfully the jukebox had her first choice of song, and as the guitars and Joan Jett’s growl rang from the speakers, Sarah stalked over to half-surprised Caleb, grabbed his hand, and led him to the dance floor, a queen showing off her prize. If there was one thing Sarah could do, it was dance. It was even fun for a minute, at least until the sound of broken glass clanged out over the music. 

They turned to see the other boys and Aaron getting physical, animosity evident. 

Caleb bent back to talk to Pogue, “Hey, it’s Reid and Tyler, grab my jacket.” 

Sarah wasn’t sure what to do with the perfunctory kiss Caleb landed on her cheek as he moved away, Pogue following, and Chase offering help. It wasn’t like she could help with a fight, but was she really the lampshade in this movie?

She went back to the table with Kate and Chase. “So...does this happen often?” 

Kate rolled her eyes. “Adam’s a dick, and Reid doesn’t know when to stop. The lot of them have been oil and water since day one, I swear. I’ve tried to get them to stop, but Pogue’s all ‘we can handle this on our own, Kate.’” Kate’s voice dropped to a lower register as she quoted her boyfriend. She shrugged. “Let’s play foosball.” 

Chase deferred, ever the gentleman, and watched as Kate and Sarah rolled the sticks, trying to knock the little ball towards their goal. Then flashes of power impinged on Sarah’s senses. Strong, short bursts, two different people...fighting? 

“Um, I’m going to go check on them…” Sarah moved towards the door they’d left from without thinking, abandoning Kate mid-turn. As she reached the door, Reid stumbled inside, moving stiffly, and Tyler followed, moving by her without a word. Sarah kept going, finding Caleb and Pogue talking in low voices outside, looking upset. 

“Hey,” she called, stopping in the doorway, not willing to get too close to the source of the power she’d just found. How many of them were magic? Just two? All? Kate’s scary story about their families was definitely truer than she thought. “You okay?” 

“Yeah...yeah, I’m fine.” Caleb said.

Sarah nodded, concealing her discomfort. “Come on, let’s go.”

Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating both of their serious faces. 

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.” 

*&*&*

After Caleb dropped her back at the dorms, Sarah made her way to her room, a bit of a helpless grin on her face. She was glad Kate was still out as she fell on her bed and thought happily of future dates with Caleb. Maybe the magic didn’t matter, or, of course it did, but maybe it just meant they were better for each other than non-magic persons would be. Just because he was having a little bit of tension with his adopted brothers didn’t mean that they were dangerous.

Kate did tease her when she got back, a smug grin on her face. 

“Mission accomplished.” 

Sarah looked over. “You...have dealt with the jealous boyfriend?” 

“Oh, that.” Kate waved that off. “He knows better. I meant we had a lovely time at his place...”

Sarah laughed. “Good?”

Kate shrugged, her grin belying any modesty. “I needed to get laid. And how about you? On your way to perfect couple-hood?” 

“Oh god, please don’t,” Sarah groaned, rolling over to put her face in the sheets. 

“Aha! That reaction means something… Did you guys kiss?”

Sarah looked over at her, and Kate laughed. “You did! How was it? Who initiated?”

Sarah attempted a properly dour expression. “I kissed him, on the cheek, on impulse.” 

“Aw, so cute! Like I said, you two are going to be perfect together.” Kate grinned triumphantly.

Sarah shrugged, unable to help the smile creeping up on her face. “We’ll see.”

*&*&*

It was still night when Sarah woke up, her skin itching. She searched through her hair with her fingers, looking for the whatever it was that she had sensed. 

A spider dropped into her sheet-covered lap and she patted it away, a little startled. A sense of foreboding was building higher and higher, a wave of premonition ready to crash on her. Then, she pulled the sheet back, and there were spiders everywhere, crawling over her legs, and she started shrieking wordlessly, more alarmed by this than she should be. 

The fear was inescapable, pushing her out of bed, into the corner where more and more spiders crawled, covering the floor with their black bodies, lines of them marching on the walls. She looked over to Kate’s sleeping form and couldn’t look away as a particularly large specimen picked its way up her face, crawling up her nose. Then a strange bump appeared on her forehead, a harbinger of sickness. Spiders were swirled everywhere, sickening, dark patches on the floor and ceiling. Sarah stamped and shrieked at the feeling of them touching her skin, swarming around her and Kate. But Kate wouldn’t wake up, too still-

A gasp, a panicked check of her sheets, and Sarah settled back, panting. Waking up in a panic at a premonition. This was not a good sign. Sarah sincerely hoped it would not become a habit. Spiders, ugh. Maybe she should ask maintenance to spray the building.

*&*&*

Classes were starting. The weekend has felt strangely long and short at the same time, and Sarah felt it all disappear into a catch of nerves as she pulled on the official Spencer uniform. White collared button-up shirt, red striped tie, a navy v-neck sweater vest matching the pleated skirt that fell just above her knees. Everything covered and brought together by the very official-looking suit jacket with the Spencer logo on the breast. 

Sarah had read the uniform code twice over now, was assured she’d met all the standards, from knee socks and sensible shoes to her hair being pulled back. It was still a bit surreal to look at herself in the mirror and see a private school student, distinctive in her conformity and formality of dress. The layers were a bit warm inside, but she had no doubt she’d need them outside. 

It was eerie on the grounds, mist hanging over the grounds, other students carrying umbrellas against the chance of rain as they moved from the dorms to the classrooms. She’d heard a few derogatory Harry Potter jokes the past few days, and was definitely starting to see why. 

Inside the classroom was not much better, the hush of the hall and curving height of the rows of blue-upholstered benches adding intimidation to the usual nerves of first day. Sarah found her first classroom early, getting her books sorted. She smiled as Kate joined her, the seats thankfully unassigned. 

Then the literature teacher started speaking, introducing their topic. Reid spoke out in favor of Stephen King, prompting a laugh from some of the class. Sarah wasn’t amused, but then they were off. It was just another day at school, however fancy.

Her free period Sarah found the library, looking for history books that a teacher had mentioned, and of course, there were texts on the witches of Ipswich. How could Sarah resist? Soon she was neck deep in lore she’d never seen before, reading about the earliest days of the witch trials, how Caleb’s and his friends’ families had been implicated. 

The punishments for being convicted of witchcraft made her shudder with horror, as did the descriptions of the supposed negative magic. It was all very religious wording, imps and demons in the form of natural and unnatural beasts. A giant spider crawling up an arm caught her eye especially, incredibly similar to the one she’d seen in her dream. The symptoms of being infected were not good in the least. If her premonition came true, as most of them did, someone was going to get sick, probably soon, and Sarah needed to be prepared. She turned the page, trying to learn all she could before seeking out the help she might need. 

“What is that?” Kate asked, and Sarah jerked in startlement.. 

“Uh, Caleb’s family history. Did you know the witchcraft thing all started here in Ipswich?” She watched Kate for signs of recognition.

“Every time I ask Pogue about it he just tells me it’s all nonsense.” Kate shook her head in disappointment, far from her enthusiasm of their first night. 

Sarah nodded along, and made plans to visit the infirmary as soon as possible. 

“So, Caleb asked me to dinner tonight.” 

“Yes!” Kate’s voice rang out just a bit too loud, prompting a look from the librarian at her desk. “But no, I’m seriously excited for you, where are you guys going?” 

“Gino’s?”

“Ooh, nice place, cozy, good food. Italian…” Kate waggled her eyebrows. 

Sarah laughed, and shoved lightly at Kate’s shoulder. “It should be fun. You’ll help me pick an outfit later?”

Kate nodded. “Oh! So, moving on, our English teacher, Mrs Granada? Totally has it in for me...”

*&*&*

The date went well, by all measures. The lack of fighting and uncertainty of a large group was a plus, but that also meant Sarah had to make conversation. 

“So, you grew up here?” 

“Yeah, been here my whole life. Pogue, Reid, Tyler, and I...we all grew up in each other’s pockets.” Caleb smiled and shook his head. “We were literal blood brothers, really close, but lately it’s been tense.”

“Everybody’s growing up? Trying to find their own place?” Sarah offered.

“That, and I know they’re a bit resentful that I’m the oldest. I’ve always tried to take care of them. Our parents...eh, we haven’t had the best of luck there.”

Sarah nodded. “You take care of everyone, don’t you?” 

Shoulders hunching in a shrug, Caleb’s eyes slid away from hers. “It’s my job.”

“And you seem to have done a good one so far. They’re all alive and kicking, not the easiest thing.”

“Yeah, but…” Caleb shook his head. “We’re all going to be eighteen in the next year, and I know it’s going to be a rough time, the way they’re going now. I just want them to be happy, make the right choices, but…”

“You can’t force them,” Sarah finished.

“No, I can’t.” 

Caleb’s face was too serious. So Sarah moved them on. “Hey, they’re going to be fine, look at me!”

Caleb looked up at this. “You?”

“I’ll have you know I was a very rebellious youngster. Always getting into trouble. I talked back, I ran away…and now here I am, at a prestigious private school on my way to Harvard.”

Caleb laughed. “You were a troublemaker, eh? Tell me more.” 

Sarah snorted at the moniker. “Now, mind you, none of this is a reflection on my parents. They were honestly great. Understanding, loving, super supportive. But they were weird. Like, hippies that never stopped kind of weird. I just...couldn’t stand it sometimes. I needed conflict. Shouted at them for nothing. Went and stayed with friends for days, and they just...waited for me to come back, mostly.” 

Caleb nodded. “They do sound great.”

Sarah grinned, a little embarrassed. “I got over it eventually. Got my grades back on track. Even learned a bit more of their hippie-dippy stuff. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought, turns out. So yeah, just give them time. Maybe they’ll see.”

“I hope so.” Caleb said, attempting a smile. 

There was an awkward pause while they picked at their food, trying to think of something else to say.

“Chase took Aaron down in the locker rooms today,” Caleb blurted. 

Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Took him down…?”

“Like, Aaron Abbot got aggressive-”

“Again.”

“Yeah, guy doesn’t know when to stop. Slammed Chase up against the lockers. I was about to put a stop to it when he twisted him around, had Aaron on his knees so fast it knocked the breath out of him.” 

“Wow,” Sarah said, trying to sound appropriately impressed. 

“Well, I think it’s good he can defend himself, at least,” Caleb said, voice fading to a mumble. 

“Yeah, that is good, it’s just...violence isn’t really the answer, in my book.”

“Is that your inner hippie coming out?” Caleb asked, half-teasing.

Sarah grinned. “I think it is.” 

*&*&*

“Ugh, that boy!” Kate railed as Sarah opened the door. 

Sarah looked at Kate curiously. “Pogue issues?” 

“He’s insisting I stay away from Chase ‘for my own good’. Can you believe that?”

“Uh, no, that’s…” Sarah made a skeptical expression.

“Exactly! Jealousy, ugh.”

Sarah nodded in sympathy and moved to get ready for bed. 

“So, how was your date, at least?” 

“It was good. You were right, the food was delicious, the place was cozy...and Caleb is a really solid guy. Seems to want to do good in the world. I’m glad you steered me towards him.” 

“I’m glad someone’s relationship is going well...”

Sarah sighed, getting into bed, and got out her textbook, notebook at the ready to jot down her thoughts on the reading. Multi-tasking between study and being a supportive girlfriend: at least this she could definitely do.

*&*&*

The next day felt suspended, waiting for the shoe to drop. Sarah pushed through it to concentrate on her classes, even called Caleb to ask about hanging out. Returning to her room, she saw a card on the door. 

_Gone to the infimary…_

Sarah felt her breath tighten in her lungs, here it was, this was it. She found the number she’d written down earlier from talking to the school nurse, called it, and was relieved to have the same woman pick up. 

“Ms Harcourt, it’s Sarah from yesterday? My roommate left me a note she was coming to see you guys. Said she wasn’t feeling well. Can you tell me anything?” 

“Sarah, right! I’ve been trying to find your friend’s family contact information for the last hour.”

“I think she said they’re out of town for the next month. How sick is she?” Sarah did her best to sound concerned but calm. No one was going to tell a panicky student all the details.

Her ploy seemed to work. “She came in complaining of chills and a headache. In less than an hour she had a 101 degree temperature.” 

“Well, what could it be?” Sarah tried not to think of spiders. 

“The doctor’s checking her now. We’ll call you when we know more.” 

“It’s okay, I’m coming over.” Goddess, Sarah hoped it was just the flu or something...

When she entered the infirmary, Ms Harcourt was there. “Sarah? The doctor’s through with his examination, we’re calling an ambulance to take her to Gloucester Hospital.” The nurse paused. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be telling you that.”

“No, no, I appreciate the information,” Sarah said. “Could I talk to the doctor?”

Inside the observation room, it wasn’t hard to see why they were taking her somewhere else. Kate’s dark golden skin was pocked insect bites, worse than any case of chickenpox or anything Sarah had seen before, but Sarah still asked why. 

“Her fever has risen to 105, and she’s showing signs of anaphylactic shock…” 

“Can I go with her?” 

“Yes, Kate said you were allowed while she was conscious, as her family’s away. You must be very good friends.” 

“Uh, I guess. She’s been wonderful to me since I started here.”

“You’re both lucky then. The ambulance should be here any minute.”

The doctor left her alone then, going inside the observation room to check on Kate’s vitals. Sarah pulled out her phone and dialled a number before she could think about it too much. Her mind still raced as the call connected, ringtone buzzing in her ear. Why would anyone target Kate? Was it an indirect attack on Sarah? Trying to get her alone? Or was it Kate’s connection to Pogue, or even Caleb? For all Sarah knew it was the jealous girlfriend who’d tried to warn Sarah off the night of the party. But going by her feelings, she’d say it’s something to do with the Sons of Ipswich. Goddess knew who they had pissed off, being who they are.

“Hello?” 

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief at the answer. “Hi there, Mrs. Kalin? This is Sarah – I go to Spenser, my father gave me your number?” 

“Oh, yes, Sarah. It’s good to hear from you! How’s school going?”

“School’s fine, Mrs. Kalin, but I have a problem. My roommate’s gotten sick, very suddenly.”

“Oh, I see…” Mrs. Kalin went serious. “Is she at the hospital?” 

“Not yet, but the on-campus clinic just called an ambulance.”

“What are they symptoms?” There was a rustling of paper on the other end of the line. 

“Fever, bug bites appearing on her skin, she seems to be allergic.” 

“Hm, have you been outside recently? No chance of this being simple bad luck?” 

Sarah took a breath. “We went to an outdoor party three days ago. I was with her the whole time. It’s too cold for anything. And,” Sarah lowered her voice, despite there being alone in her room, “I had a dream. About spiders. Everywhere.” 

“And you’re talented,” Mrs. Kalin finished. “I see. Well, I doubt she’s going to get better without specific treatment. Call me when they transfer her and I’ll come pick you up. We’ll do our best to get her better.”

Something relaxed inside Sarah, and she nodded, “Okay, yes. Thank you.” 

“It will be my pleasure to work with Nathaniel’s daughter.”

Sarah smiled, almost a grimace. She didn’t doubt her own abilities or training so far, but it was strange to be put in the same bracket as her dad.

*&*&*

She called Caleb, letting him know of the situation. It wasn’t hard to bring up the necessary emotions, her fear and confusion. It was more a matter of letting them come to the forefront than anything.

“Kate’s bad.”

“Wait, what?” 

“They say it’s like she’s been bitten by spiders, and I had this terrible nightmare about spiders.” 

“Go back to the dorm and wait for me, okay?” 

“Alright.” Sarah didn’t see the harm in it. They’d all be heading to the hospital eventually.

She called Pogue right after. He sounded stressed, his words bitten off over the sound of his motorcycle’s engine. She hoped he’d stay safe on the road. 

Maybe this would put the boys on the right path, alert them to the threat of magic against them. Sarah honestly wasn’t sure how much she could say beyond what she had already.

The nurse gave her Kate’s clothes not long after, promising information when they had it. Sarah had dearly wanted to go with Kate in the ambulance, but decided to wait and go with Mrs. Kalin. Perhaps the doctors would be able to manage without their help. At the very least, they could probably keep Kate stable until the cavalry arrived.

She walked the dark campus, entered the long, echoing halls of her dorm, still unused to how deserted and quiet it could be. She unlocked the door, and as she was turning to close it, Caleb appeared. Sarah startled. 

“Oh! Hey.”

Caleb entered with a small smile, too quiet.

Sarah felt an uneasiness stir in her gut. “What’s wrong?”

“You seen Pogue?”

“No, but I called and told him about Kate.”

“How is she?” 

“Not so good, but the doctor said he’d call about any changes.”

There was a knock on the door. “Maybe this is him,” she guessed, lacking other options. Her mind was heavy with fatigue. It’d been a long day. 

She opened the door to find...Caleb? 

“Pogue’s been in an accident,” the new Caleb said.

Sarah looked wildly between the two Calebs trying to figure out which one was real…

Then woke up on Kate’s bed, lying down, one Caleb sitting next to her. She looked around for the other, found no one, and asked, “What happened?” 

Caleb looked regretful. “You passed out when I told you...Pogue’s been in an accident.”

Sarah looked past the lie to focus on the important thing. “Is he okay?”

“Not good, but he’s alive. Looks like he was going too fast on his motorcycle and spun out.” 

“Where is he?”

“Gloucester.” Caleb gave a little unpleasant grin. “At least he and Kate are near each other.” 

“Yeah.” Sarah moved to sit up. “We should go be there.”

“I don’t want you to-” Caleb shook his head, frustrated. “Can you stay here? I need at least one person safe.” 

“I’m going.” Sarah declared. And she was going to get the truth from them, one way or another. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, head and magic resettling. Something had happened while she’d been out, she could feel it. “Alright, I’ll...get a drink first, make sure I’m okay. You go ahead.” 

Caleb’s face pinched, but he didn’t argue further. “You’re sure?” 

“Yes. I’ll get a cab if I don’t think it’s safe for me to drive, okay?” 

Caleb’s nod was jerky. “Call me when you get there.” 

*&*&*

Mrs. Kalin was an unremarkable woman beyond her dusky skin. Dressed in the slightly out of date style people of her generation adopted habitually, her long straight hair kept in a braid down her back, she looked more like a librarian than the usual friend of her parents. Her car was a mid-size model in a boring color. She had a peace sign hanging from her rear view mirror, and Sarah felt the warm blanket of good intent combined with excellent boundary keeping wrap around her as she stepped inside. The inside was mostly clean, minor clutter saving the car from immaculate intimidation.

Keeping her eyes on the road as they sped towards the hospital, Mrs. Kalin quizzed Sarah on the situation. 

“So tell me what’s been happening, dear. Surely a curse of this ferocity didn’t come out of nowhere?” 

Sarah hesitated, trying to figure out where to start. “Maybe not nowhere, no, but I’m not sure where it’s coming from.” She took a breath, bracing herself. “Have you heard of the sons of Ipswich?” 

Mrs. Kalin laughed, “Those boys? Yes, everyone has.” 

“What?” 

Mrs. Kalin shook her head reprovingly. “They’re a bit of a local joke, actually. Everyone knows about them and their powers while they try, very badly, mind you, to keep it a secret.” She sobered. “Considering what happens when they think they’ve been discovered. It’s generally thought best to let them keep believing that, and not to approach them as minor practitioners.”

“Oh.” Sarah did her best to rearrange her world view. “You just...leave them alone?” 

“And try to keep the non-magical folk doing the same, beyond the usual consequences for law-breaking stupidity.” 

Sarah winced, easily seeing how that could get out of hand. 

“So, they’re the reason the poor girl has been cursed?” 

“Maybe, she’s dating one of them.” _And I’m dating another,_ she didn’t add. 

“Hmm, pranks sometimes get out of hand with them, but this doesn’t seem their style,” Mrs. Kalin observed. 

It sent a cold shiver through Sarah, the thought of this being truly serious.

“What have you seen, Sarah?” Mrs. Kalin’s words cut through her introspection, gently drawing her out.

“Nothing specific. A scent of smoke? Feeling of something coming, an oncoming storm.” Sarah took a deep breath, exhaling the frustration she felt. 

“Well, that’s not ominous at all,” Mrs. Kalin remarked dryly.

Sarah smiled, tight. “All I know is stay away from the old Putnam barn.” 

Mrs. Kalin’s eyebrows rose. “Good information. I hope you follow your own advice?” 

“Definitely.”

They turned into the hospital, and Sarah took charge of a bag that smelled of lavender. The scent relaxed something inside her, and she allowed herself to hope just a bit more. 

Getting in wasn’t that hard, the nurse declaring her stable and able to have visitors, at least for a short while. Once inside, Sarah forced herself to face Kate’s unconscious form, taking in the gray tinge of her skin, the bug bites looking just as bad as before. 

Mrs. Kalin gave her a moment, but was soon bustling into the four corners. “Can you put your bag under her pillow, dear?” 

The spell was a simple one at its core: get well soon. Even with an inimical force having a head start against it, it propped up the recipient, giving them strength. It gave Kate a chance, a higher likelihood of survival, assuming the curse was taken off or abandoned.

Sarah only hoped it worked. 

Sarah gave Kate’s hand a quick squeeze before following Mrs Kalin to the door. “Thank you for your help.” 

“My pleasure as well as my duty, dear.” Mrs Kalin turned to face Sarah once they were in the hall. Sarah had to look down slightly to meet her eyes. “I’m glad you had the sense to call for help instead of dealing with this yourself.” 

Sarah nodded, unable to think of a coherent reply. 

“I’ll check in tomorrow to see how she’s doing. Call me anytime, especially if you find out what’s going on, hrm?” 

“Yeah, I will. Thanks.”

Mrs Kalin patted her on the shoulder. “She’ll be okay, you just watch.” 

Sarah nodded again. Mrs Kalin’s footsteps echoed down the hall as she headed back towards the entrance. Sarah took a deep breath and took out her phone. Time to deal with Caleb and the sons of Ipswich.

*&*&*

A quick text exchange later, and Sarah waited in the marbled halls of the hospital as Caleb went to see Pogue. The younger boy was restricted to family only, which apparently included Caleb. Like everything around here, it seemed over the top and too expensive. Old and hallowed, but still in use. The chairs were plastic, at least. The newspapers and magazines the usual motley assortment of out of date news and boring articles, the paper crinkled and written on.

She told Caleb about Kate’s condition when he returned just a few minutes later, and they sat down, Caleb rubbing his eyes. Exhaustion and worry felt like something solid now, weighing on them both. 

She couldn’t wait any longer, though. “Caleb, look me in the eye and tell me the truth. The spiders, I read about them… They’re some kind of spell, aren’t they?”

Caleb looked distressed, searching around them as if to find something to save him from this, or perhaps make sure no one else could listen in too closely. 

“There’s something I want to show you, and then I’ll explain everything,” he promised, head nodding seriously.

Sarah nodded back.

*&*&*

Caleb drove her out to the old house again. It looked even more like a horror movie at night, warm light coming from the highest window. 

“Don’t be afraid.” 

“Of what?” Sarah asked.

Caleb grimaced. “An old family secret?”

They walked up the lawn and entered the house, Sarah expecting a gunshot at any moment. “What about your caretaker?”

Caleb held out his hand. “It’ll be okay.” 

Sarah took it, and they went up the stairs to the top floor. Really, they were more stable, less creaky than she would have imagined. The place was in good repair, just dark and too-large. The walls were covered with paintings that caught the limited light, incredibly creepy in the small glimpses. Sarah tried to keep her eyes between Caleb and her next step.

They were able to look through the spindles of the bannister as they ascended the very last steps. A fire was going on the top floor, its muted warmth mostly swallowed by the cold light coming in through the windows. Other things caught her attention, though. There were tons of medical supplies scattered throughout the room. Brown glass medicine bottles and more modern plastic ones crowded the small low tables, tubing and oxygen tanks were grouped together like bombs waiting to go off. A tall man with a gray balding head stood by a large chair in front of the fireplace, turning to look at them.

“What are you doing?” The voice didn’t sound like someone that would shoot a warning shot. It was quiet, intense. Sarah examined him warily, then looked away.

“It’s all right.” Caleb said.

“Caleb?” The caretaker was insistent.

“This is important to me, Gorman.”

They moved in closer to the chair, more medicine than she’d ever seen on yet another table. There was an old, wrinkled, almost amphibian-like hand. The fingers had incredibly overgrown fingernails. Claws, almost, that draped over the arm-rest of the chair in a sinuous curve.

Caleb attempted reassurance once again. “It’s okay.”

He led them around to look at the ancient person in the chair. Sarah thought he was a man. The sun-starved skin was massively wrinkled where it wasn’t covered in a robe; his hair was gone but for a few strands; his eyes were closed. A...something, hissed rhythmically beside him, perhaps helping him to breathe. Then the eyes opened with a suddenness that startled her.

“This is William Danvers III. My father. He’s 44 years old.”

Sarah looked at Caleb to make sure it wasn’t a joke. Goddess, how had this happened? Who had done it? The words wouldn’t come past the overwhelming oppression in the room, and the horror building inside her.

Thankfully, they left quickly after, Caleb and his father seeming to have no interest in talking. It felt morbid, just going to see someone to...see them, to prove the terribleness of their existence. Sarah ached to do something, but couldn’t see what.

It was a relief to be outside again, away from the oppressive air of a sick and dying person. 

“So, what’s wrong with him?”

Caleb leaned against his car, and started talking. 

“My family, but not just them, Pogue, Reid, Tyler’s families, we’ve had this power a very long time.”

“Power? That looks more like a curse.”

Caleb looked at Sarah quizzically. “That would be one way of looking at it…”

“I’m sorry, go on.”

“Right, so, since as long as we have records, we’ve had this power, it goes the first son.”

“Always a firstborn son? What if there’s a firstborn daughter?”

“It just...doesn’t go to her. Eldest son gets the power.”

“What if there’s no sons?”

“There’s always a son.” Caleb looked at her blankly, as though these questions had never occurred to him. Maybe they hadn’t. 

The sky was lightening as they finished, Sarah trying to find something they could do. She hardly wanted Caleb to take on more power, but if it was the only way to beat Chase in the short term, she would take it. She felt a bit bad not mentioning her own talents, or Mrs. Kalin, but she was insignificant to this drama, except as a bystander, a hostage that had mostly lost her value now that she knew their version of the truth. At least, she certainly hoped so.

“So, you still want to go to the Fall Festival with me?” Caleb asked the question, obviously expecting a refusal.

Sarah considered the question, and decided, “Yes.” Curse or no, addictive, overwhelming power or no, she wasn’t going to give in to the fear games of some person. This was her life, her choice, and Caleb was a good person that she liked. 

Caleb’s face split into a genuine grin, the first she’d seen from him in hours. “Thank you, I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

*&*&*

Caleb refused to drop her off at the dorms, instead taking her to his house. 

“Mother, this is Sarah.”

Caleb’s mother was elegant, her style reminiscent of the flapper age, but she exuded need and bitterness. The smell of brandy followed her like a perfume. Sarah started to understand why Caleb was so reluctant to even discuss her. 

“So this is your girlfriend?”

“Yes, and I’d appreciate it if you’d be polite.”

Caleb’s mother swung her head to face Sarah, smiled, and held out a hand. “Evelyn Danvers, so nice to meet you.”

Sarah took the hand, dry and slightly chill, meeting her gaze resolutely. “Sarah Wenham.” She’s not sure what to say after that. Silence seemed the best option.

“I’m so...glad my boy’s found someone.” 

Sarah heard the “before it’s too late” in the silence that followed, Caleb’s father fresh on her mind. She forced a smile. “And I’m glad I’ve found him.” 

Evelyn turned back to Caleb. “And why, my dear son, have you brought her over so late?” 

Caleb lifted his chin. “She needs protection, and I’m not asking her to stay with Reid and Tyler.”

“Heaven forfend,” Evelyn drawled. To Sarah, she said, “Let me show you the guest room.”

The room she was ushered into was dusty but well-furnished, the ornate headboard a thing of curling, carved beauty, the seat in front of it covered with velvet. Looking through the aged dresser as directed, she changed into borrowed pajamas and slept the sleep of the exhausted. If any dreams came in the night, she didn’t remember them.

When she woke, groggy, everything was unfamiliar, dusty curtains revealing the sun low in the sky already. She’d managed to skip a day of classes for the first time in years. Weirdly, she had more important things to worry about. The clock declared it was 5:04pm, and that meant she had two hours before she had to start getting ready.

She changed back into her clothes from yesterday, lacking other options, and found her way downstairs, mostly by luck. 

Caleb was in a seat near the bottom of the stairs, reading a very large, very old book. He looked up at the sound of her coming down, and his lips twitched in an attempt at a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Did you get some sleep?”

“A little. It’s kind of hard to rest when…” Caleb’s eyes flicked to the side and back, and he shook his head. “I’ve mostly been reviewing the histories.”

Sarah cocked her head at the book Caleb held, her curiosity piqued. “Is that what that is?” 

Caleb nodded. “This is the main one, The Book of Damnation.” His smile crooked at the words, and he stroked the pages soothingly. “Our families’ collected knowledge since the witch hunts. Everything else was burned.”

“Oh.” Sarah looked at the book with new eyes, imagining inside all the little bits of misinformation, the outright lies about magic that Caleb had mentioned as truth the other night. This is where he’d gotten it all from. The book looked a little more sinister now.

“In any case,” Caleb sat up and closed the book, making to stand. “I’m hungry, how about you?”

Sarah smiled and agreed, letting the subject close for now.

Dinner/breakfast was simple, sandwiches and salad from what there was in the kitchen. “I usually eat at the school,” Caleb said apologetically. “Mother has meals delivered when she eats.” 

“Where is she, by the way?” 

“Asleep, still, or in her room.” Caleb shrugged. “She said she had a dress you could borrow, so she’ll be down.”

“Dress?” 

“For the Festival. It’s pretty formal.” 

“I see.” Sarah kept getting surprised by these things. With no Kate to give her the scoop on all the traditions, she guessed she was lucky they had something that might fit. 

Evelyn descended the stairs a few minutes later, taking the offered salad with quizzical disdain. 

“You look to be about my size when I was your age, Sarah. Caleb said you might need a dress, since traveling to the school might be unwise.”

“You’re kind to offer me something to wear.” 

Evelyn’s shrug was brief, barely an acknowledgement of the words. and they all sat in awkward silence until they were finished, and the women could go up the stairs to prepare.

“I’ll see you back here,” Caleb said, a gentle smile on his face.

Following Evelyn back up the stairs, Sarah realized just what, besides her carefully not-drunk way of moving, was strange. There was no taste of magic about Evelyn that Sarah could find, although it should have rubbed off, with her husband and son so powerful. 

But that matched how Caleb’s power behaved, unsettling to someone who’d grown up around a more naturalistic version of power, one that grew and shared itself when not bound to a purpose. Caleb’s seemed to curl around him greedily, unwilling to be parted except in use. Sarah had nearly run after he demonstrated it, just a small bit of levitation, to prove himself, bringing her more fully into the secret. 

It was so strange. She’d never have believed power in itself had a moral, ethical bent, convinced that it was all in the way it was attracted and used by the person. She was rethinking things now.

Evelyn presented a dress, a gorgeous fall of ecru material. “It’s silk. I’ve always loved the shimmer of it,” she said.

Sarah smiled. “It’s wonderful. Thank you for sharing it.” 

Evelyn nodded. “Only the best for my son’s choice.” Then she left Sarah to find her way into it, with a parting statement of “There’s makeup on the bathroom counter if you want to use it.”

Sarah did, going so far as to wash up before putting on the dress. It fit perfectly, a tiny pocket hidden in the folds of fabric that she tucked her spell bag into. Seeing herself in the mirror as she put her hair up, she felt a strange resonance, like reverse deja-vu. This could be her again in twenty years…waiting outside as another girl got ready. Sarah shivered at the thought, and made sure her makeup was presentable. 

She came down the stairs to find Caleb, Reid, and Tyler in dark suits. Caleb’s smile was positively stunning as he took her in. 

“You’re gorgeous, my dear,” Evelyn intoned, and Sarah nodded thanks.

*&*&*

The arrangements made after that were simple. Reid and Tyler would take her to the Festival, acting as bodyguards, and Caleb would meet them there after dealing with Chase. He seemed confident he could do it once ascended, as he put it, in his full powers. Everyone else seemed worried about him going it alone, but unable to help, none of the other boys being close to ascension.

“We haven’t been the best of friends to him lately, so we’re trying to make up for it,” Tyler said, fending off a poke from Reid at the words, elbows well-placed to do so, since he was driving.

Despite the reassurances Caleb had pressed into her, Sarah kept expecting Chase to appear like a bogeyman by the side of the road, or in front of the car. She saw nothing, though, as Tyler parked his SUV, the large black vehicle taking up most of the space he fit it into. 

Reid hastened to help her down, the jump awkward in a dress, and they walked towards the gymnasium where the Festival was being held. The clock tower tolled, ponderous silence between each bell. Sarah started to count, but only got to three when Reid’s phone starting jangling. 

“Hey Caleb. No, we made it…”

Sarah felt...something, and turned to look, and everything went gray.

*&*&*

She woke in the rain, hay prickling her back uncomfortably, Caleb stood above her. His face was scraped, power about him swirling, all signs of a fight just fought, but otherwise calm. Behind him the Old Putnam Barn was burning hot. She could feel it even through her soaked dress.

“What happened?” Sarah asked, pushing herself up, fighting a now-familiar weakness in her limbs. Chase had done something, she was sure of it. Caleb wouldn’t be this way if he was still a threat, though. “Did you win?”

“Yeah, yeah, I won.” Caleb said, a small smile on his face. He reached out a hand to help, and Sarah took it, standing beside him as he turned to look at the barn. 

“Is he…”

“I beat him, I’m more powerful. He either died or he ran away; he’s not coming back tonight.” Caleb sounded confident, but also a bit exhausted.

Sarah bit her lip on more questions as sirens made it to her ears. 

“I guess someone called the fire department.” Caleb said, turning. 

The firefighters were efficient, moving them back, out of the way. They couldn’t do much out here, the city water lines not having a nearby hydrant this far into the countryside. They used up their stored water strategically, making sure the fire couldn’t spread, the rain helping. Or so the fireman told them as they gave their statements.

“I was just...you know, showing Sarah around.” Caleb spoke like an actual teenager, one Sarah had never seen before, his head ducked in embarrassment. “I thought the barn would be fun to explore, but then another kid from school came in, pretty drunk. Chase?” He turned to Sarah for acknowledgement, and she nodded. 

“We’ve met a couple times at school this semester, he’d just transferred in. He had a lighter and was lighting all the lanterns. We didn’t really want an audience, so me and Sarah were about to go when he tripped, dropped one, knocked over another one. The fire spread really fast, so we ran outside, looking for water to stop it. It went up so fast, I couldn’t get back in to get him…” Caleb’s face crumpled. “Do you think he’s dead?”

The fireman looked stoically concerned. “Not going to lie to you, son, he might be. Don’t worry, we’ll look and make sure he gets to the hospital. Going in there was a bad idea, though. You were right to get out and stay out.” 

Caleb ducked his head in a nod, and Sarah didn’t have to work at playing the concerned girlfriend, squeezing his hand and feeling worried.

It was coming on morning, the sky going from black to gray to almost blue as they waited, catching catnaps in the car. Thankfully the rain petered off, leaving them damp but not too cold. 

Finally, the fireman came back. “We searched the entire area, we didn’t find anybody. Maybe he went out the back. We’ll start searching back there, check with the school to see if he came back. You said he’s a student at Spencer?”

“That’s right,” Sarah replied, her mouth going dry. 

“Don’t you worry, we’ll find him.”

They both nodded, and the fireman moved off.

Sarah looked up at Caleb. “How–how can that be?”

Caleb didn’t answer, moving to sit in the driver’s seat. They looked one last time at the smoking remains of the barn.

“Where is he?” Sarah asked again. Caleb had said he could feel Chase’s power before, surely he could now.

“I don’t know.” 

Caleb looked around, then pulled the glass of his windshield back together with a flick of his fingers, thousands of pieces reassembling, and Sarah had to bite her tongue to keep from shouting. In warning? To whom? A quick check showed the firemen, barely a body length away, not seeming to notice, fortunately looking elsewhere. It was the first time Sarah’s seen outright evidence of their culture, knowing it was not a side effect of the power itself. People here knew better than to see or say anything about the powers running loose here. Look at what happened to the boy who asked Chase questions, after all. 

Caleb’s hand moved toward hers, and she twined her fingers with his, trying to put on a resolute expression. No matter what happened after this, at least they had survived. 

They rolled down the road, wind popping over the broken windows, too loud to talk, until another flick of fingers fixed that, too. Sarah took a moment to calm down. She knew Caleb was as safe as a person could be with those kinds of powers. He was determined to protect her, as well as his friends and family. 

Caleb also has had the best and worst kind of example to play off of: his father, looking a hundred years old before he turned fifty. So he might be safe, but what about the others? Pogue, Reid, and Tyler were all very different, hot-tempered, less mature, more willing to fight. Thinking of them coming into even half the power Caleb has shown filled her with a fear that had nothing to do with premonition.

“So, what are we going to tell people?” she called over the wind. 

“I figure we keep going with a fire accidentally getting out of control.” 

“And we got all dressed up and then snuck away before the dance started?” 

“We’re teenagers! Young and stupid and horny. Believe me, no one will question that part.”

Sarah considered this. “Birthday sex? A romantic fire? I suppose the firefighters didn’t question us much.” 

Caleb shrugged, hands on the wheel. “The Danvers name counts for a lot, and the old Putnam barn was an eyesore, anyway. Now the family can claim insurance and rebuild or something.” 

“Right,” Sarah said. “What do we do now? Are you...okay?” 

Caleb stole a glance at her. “I’m really glad you’re safe, and that Chase didn’t win, but I won because my father willed me his power.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean…”

“He’s dead, yeah.” Caleb grimaced. “I need to go find my mom, make sure she’s okay.” 

Sarah considered the implications of that. “You mean she probably asked him to – wow. Can I...help?”

Caleb shook his head. “Thanks, but not with this. Can I drop you at the dorms?” 

“Yeah, that works.” Sarah felt a pang of relief. She wanted to help, yes, but being let off the hook gave her space to deal with her own feelings about tonight. 

They arrived at the school, Chase pulling up the curb. Sarah leaned over to kiss Chase softly. “I hope your mom’s okay. Call me when you can.” 

Caleb nodded.

Sarah made her way into the dorms, doing her best to make it a fast walk, not a run.

*&*&*

Sarah walked the empty halls of her dorm, dress swishing in the silence. Everyone was asleep still, the morning too early for anyone but the most determined, it seemed like, the Fall Festival likely keeping people abed. This kind of emptiness always made places feel hollow to Sarah, no subconscious cues of sound, no active aura of life to detect. 

She stopped at her room to change into comfortable clothing, old workout pants and a sweatshirt, both big, enveloping. The dress she hung up carefully, then found her bag in its single pocket, dried by her body heat. She put it to her face, breathing in the scent of herbs, safety, and home, something she dearly missed right now.

Then, restless, she wandered up and down the halls, trying to regain some sort of normal feeling. Her walk brought her to Chase’s door, almost familiar from picking him up for their shopping trip together. She walked a bit faster.

How badly it had all gone: Kate in the hospital, herself kidnapped, almost killed, and Chase...gone. She wondered what would happen to his things, would they be packed up and donated? He was an orphan, would he have to be declared missing by the school if there was no body? Caleb had said Chase was even less trained in using their power than Caleb had been, although he seemed naturally talented, to cast the spell he had on Kate. Maybe he’d studied. 

Sarah considered it, then. If he wasn’t dead, it would be good to know what his sources were, how to counter him. She turned around, cursing that she’d left her phone in the room. She could go back, get it, ask the other boys to come and look with her, but why wait? If Chase could teleport, he might be there and gone in the time it took them to come. He might’ve come and gone already.

She came back to the door, so innocuous and bland. She’d just...look. See if she could get in and quickly look for any books lying around. Sarah steeled herself, and tried the handle. The handle didn’t turn, but the latch hadn’t been completely engaged, and the door slid open without a sound. 

Sarah paused, hand still grasping the doorknob. Belatedly she felt for any sense that someone might be here, and found nothing. Not even an echo of power. Pushing the door open further, she crept cautiously into the room. It was an anticlimax of the most predictable sort. Chase hadn’t pasted pictures of Caleb and her all over the walls. There was nothing suspicious. It seemed typical of a teenage boy who’d just moved somewhere: mostly bare walls, dirty clothing scattered about, an unmade bed, and school books stacked on the desk. Sarah hurried to them, scanning the titles for anything unusual.

Nothing in plain sight looked odd. Emboldened by her success, Sarah searched the desk, found the drawers mostly empty. She looked under the bed: dust bunnies. Opened the closet: there. Two old-looking books, gilt wearing off. She grabbed them without looking at the titles, anxious to leave. 

And suddenly her senses screamed warning. She turned to find Chase behind her, crouched on the floor, face traced with blood and baleful.

“You-” He said hoarsely, and then his face crumpled in pain. He curled around his stomach, wheezing. 

Sarah took the opening to run for the still open door. Chase raised a hand, flapped it really, and the wood flew shut in front of her. She grabbed for the handle, but it wouldn’t move. Turning around so her back was against the door, she reached in her pocket for the one thing she had brought with her: her mother’s protective sachet of herbs. As spells went, it was old, perhaps worn from constant use in the past week, but Sarah figured anything was a worth a try. 

She threw the bag at Chase, aiming for his face. The ribbon came loose and the contents spilled out, dried greenery and seeds flying through the air as it hit him. Sarah felt a brief surge of magic. The scent of cinnamon hitting her nose, familiar and comforting, her mother’s feelings and collected power at work. Chase looked stunned and shook his head, sending bits of plant tumbling off his head to the floor. 

“What the hell was that?” He rasped, wincing. 

Sarah tried the door again, trying to making it inconspicuous, but the metal clicked, loud in the silence. “A desperate measure that probably won’t work?” 

“I’ve never felt anything like that before. Tell me what that was.” Chase demanded, voice low, his face intense. His eyes kept flicking from the now-inert mess on the floor to Sarah, and back. 

Sarah swallowed, hard, and answered. “A protective spell my mom gave me.”

Chase blinked. “You’re a witch, too?” 

“Sort of, not really? More like in the religious sense, not the powers sense like you guys.” Sarah chanced a lie. If there was one thing she knew better than to do, it was reveal all the cards she had to an enemy. 

Chase’s eyes narrowed. “That was power I felt. Your mom made it?” 

“Yeah, to keep me safe,” Sarah’s voice wobbled on the last word, and she desperately tried to stop it. “Hasn’t seemed to help all that much.” 

Chase grinned, humorless. “You aren’t dead. Hell, you don’t even sound messed up from the fire.” His eyes narrowed, and this time his gaze was directed at examining her. “No cuts from the glass. I bet you aren’t even feeling the after-effects of the spiders. You’re either lucky or blessed.” He looked down at the floor. “I can guess which one.”

Sarah felt a sharp stab of panic. “Spiders?” 

Chase waved a hand, dismissing her concern. “Two days ago. Caleb needed pushing; a final warning after Pogue.” 

Sarah flinched at the motion, and then anger rose, dark and ugly. “You bastard. He said I just fainted.”

“Yeah, Caleb’s a real gentleman, isn’t he?” Chase sneered. “Too bad he’s been lying to you for most of the time.”

“Like you weren’t,” Sarah shot back. “Who killed his parents? Who tried to kill all of us? Who actually killed that kid the night of the party?” Sarah jiggled the handle again, still unmoveable. She started to consider the window as an acceptable method of escape. Getting cut up versus certain death? Yeah, she’d take the first option.

Chase bared his teeth at her. “Well, then you won’t be surprised when I give into the urge to kill you again.” 

Sarah broke for the window, and didn’t quite make it before Chase’s power wrapped around her, cold, dark, sucking at her like a leech. She was turned around to face him, unable to move in his grasp. It probably looked like she was floating, but to her it felt like being dragged up in a tangle of ropes. 

Chase looked dazed as he stumbled towards her, and Sarah realized she hadn’t seen him walk until now. His pupils were blown like he was high. 

“Don’t—” Sarah gasped, unable to pull more air in after she spoke, the tendrils around her tightening. Sarah had a sudden revelation of what it felt like to be squeezed to death by an anaconda, and wished frantically for time to reverse. If only she hadn’t come in here, maybe she would’ve survived. 

“No more talking!” Chase snarled. “You die here.” Chase twisted his hand, and the power squeezed even tighter. 

Sarah felt her mouth gape, trying desperately to take in air when her ribcage wouldn’t expand. Spots appeared in her vision. It hurt, so much. It was agony. I’m sorry, mom and dad, she thought—

Sarah blinked, coming back to present, her heart beating fast. She took a deep breath, reassuring herself she could, lungs aching. She was lying on the floor in Chase’s room, everything untouched. Where was Chase? Had their encounter actually happened? Had it been a very detailed premonition? A dream? She looked over at the closet, got up, palmed the metal of the handle. The books were gone. Sarah groped in her pocket for her bag, and found it gone too. The floor was clean, though, not even a bit of leaf left. 

Unsteady and spooked, Sarah left for her own room, locking the door only after searching it thoroughly. She couldn’t deal with any more surprises tonight.

*&*&*

Sarah wasn’t sure what to do about the rest of the situation, but her opportunity to deal with Caleb came the next day before class. She caught him as he was about to go inside, the parking lot deserted.

“You told me I fainted,” Sarah said bluntly, trying to hold in her anger. 

Caleb looked surprised, “I...what?” 

“When I lost time, and woke up on my bed. You said I fainted about Pogue’s motorcycle crash. I don’t faint. You lied.” 

Caleb’s eyes shifted to the right, recalling, and then he looked her straight in the eye. “I couldn’t tell you about magic then.”

“But you did later. Why didn’t you tell me about that, too?” Sarah’s voice was wobbling, her eyes going wet. She blinked hard, and kept up the pressure, refusing to break eye contact.

“Look, I’m sorry!” Caleb said, going on the defensive. “I didn’t mean to leave out anything important. It was a stressful situation-”

“You’re damn right it was stressful. Somehow I have a hard time believing you forgot about Chase infecting me with spiders, though,” Sarah spat. 

“Well, yeah. It was disturbing and I wanted to protect you.”

“I need to know these things, Caleb! It’s bad enough being kidnapped!” Sarah found herself shouting, and tries to pull it back. “It’s bad enough being a pawn to lure you in, the damsel in distress. But you have to protect me from knowledge of the full truth of what happens to me too? Fuck that.” 

Caleb looks distressed, wordless, finally managing. “I’m sorry.”

“And?” Sarah asked, savage.

“And I won’t do it again?” Caleb added, tentative, cowed. 

“Damn right you won’t.” Sarah pinned Caleb with one last look, then turned sharply as the bell sounded, heading inside for the first class of the day. Once she was out of sight, she wiped away the tears.

It was quiet after that, school resuming without a hitch (beyond the swirling rumors about her and Caleb, of course). The dean called both Sarah and Caleb in to discuss the fire incident. Sarah took her tongue-lashing quietly, refusing to look at a waiting Caleb as she left. Of Chase there was no mention. 

It was a shock to see Chase walk into class. Sarah nearly panicked and ran when he entered, uniform neatly in place, sitting in his usual seat. 

She couldn’t focus after that, feeling his eyes on her. Although when she looked his way, Chase was always studiously paying attention to the teacher or his books. The attention was unnerving, and she couldn’t get away fast enough. It was a brilliant move, she realized. School was a safe place for them all. Powers couldn’t be used openly, beyond minor pranks, although illness was now a terrifying reopened possibility. She regretted alienating Caleb now. She needed to know the limits of what they could do, what she might be facing. 

Pogue was in her next class, so she chanced a question. “What can you do about Chase?” 

“What about him?” Pogue seemed genuinely puzzled. 

“He’s here. Back in school.” Sarah hissed. 

Pogue’s face immediately darkened, a snarl on his lips. “Where?” 

“My last class, he came in like nothing was wrong.” 

Pogue doesn’t need to look at his schedule. “He’s in with Caleb now. Damn. Nothing we can do.”

“What does that mean? Nothing we can do about their eventual second face off? Nothing we can do as in what you guys can do against each other?”

Pogue looked even more pissed off. “Nothing we can do against each other. Caleb’s more powerful, but proving that might raze the building. Fuck.” 

“Attention, everyone!” The teacher called, her voice startling them both.

They looked up to the teacher’s reproving stare, and with one last glance at each other, tried to focus on schoolwork, too aware of the potential for violence and open magic brewing just a few classrooms away. Sarah stretched her senses, but they didn’t reach that far, never had.

Sarah let Pogue walk her to her dorm after classes, Caleb off shadowing or fighting Chase, Sarah didn’t know. Sarah both appreciated and resented the need for protection. 

“You’ll let me know what happens, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Caleb was real clear that you needed to know important stuff from now on.”

“Good.” She closed the door, locked it, and got on the phone, dialling one of the newer numbers in her history.

“Mrs. Kalin, this is Sarah.”

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to say thank you for your help this week.”

“Oh, of course, dear. Anything for a fellow witch in need.” 

“And...it’s not over? Our problem is back, although he’s not doing anything overtly threatening, it’s a possibility.”

“Hm,” Mrs. Kalin sounded displeased. “We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we?”

Sarah felt the tension in her shoulders release a bit. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”

*&*&*

A charm Mrs. Kalin had given her the instructions to make was now safely around her neck, a hedge against curses and ill intentions, but nobody needed to know that. This was phase one, simple proactive behavior. It might not work against the overwhelming power that the boys have, but Sarah would use anything that increased their chances of survival.

Kate returned from the hospital the next day, the spider bites fading rapidly. Even though she had personally helped set the spells to encourage healing, Sarah felt a sense of unreality to it. 

“You’re sure you’re okay?” she asked again. They were lying on their beds, books open. 

Kate sighed over her borrowed notes. “I’m fine. I don’t actually remember much of it, just feeling bad, then a lot of sleeping, you know?” 

Sarah looked down. “Yeah, I get it. It’s just you were really sick.” 

“And now I’m better, thanks. I’m almost glad to be back at school.” Kate wrinkled her nose as she handled a piece of paper, notes scribbled over half of it. “Laying around in the hospital was driving me nuts!” Kate looked up. “Oh, one interesting thing. There was graffiti in my room. Weird designs scratched on the handle of the rail. They were fun to trace.”

Sarah nodded and makes interested noises, trying not to overreact. She’d been the one to do that, one more layer of magic to protect and help Kate recover. Kate tracing the sigil probably strengthened it, orienting it even more strongly towards her. She regretted that she didn’t do the same to the bed here. It was unlikely she’d have time to do it the next day.

“Hey, I made you a necklace while you were gone. Made two, actually.” It was easy enough to affect a casual tone. She fished hers out of her shirt to show it off.

“Ooh, I like it!” Kate exclaims. “I never had a friendship bracelet or anything. You’ve made my childhood dream come true, Sarah Wenham.” She looked at Sarah sappily.

Sarah laughed and rolled her eyes.

After that, Sarah did her best to not hover, trying to protect Kate, but it was hard. Class would be a welcome distraction, except Chase was there, quietly menacing, his silence unnerving. And then Caleb was there too. 

“Hey,” Caleb tried, sliding into the seat next to her. “We need to talk.” 

“You’re right, but not here,” Sarah replied. 

“No, now. You’re not safe!” Caleb whispered, forceful. 

“What else is new?” Sarah shot back. “What might happen? Someone could kidnap me and infect me with spiders? Meet me after school when no one’s listening to us fight.” 

Caleb’s mouth tightened, but he retreated, ceding the seat to its rightful occupant.

*&*&*

Caleb was in the hall after her last class, and ushered her towards an open spot between buildings. The cold autumn wind was blocked here, whistling past the eaves. 

Sarah leaned against the wall, arms folded against the cold. “I’m listening.” 

“We couldn’t find Chase yesterday. Tyler and Reid kept a watch on his dorm. I tried to follow him. He disappeared.”

“Ah,” Sarah said, taking this in. “I’m not that surprised.”

“What?” Caleb’s face shifted to betrayal. “How did you know?” 

“I didn’t know. But it makes sense. He’s probably just waiting for the next one of you to ascend.” 

Caleb’s face went tight. “Yeah, probably. Pogue is next, in three months. God, what do we fucking do for three months?” 

“Don’t pick fights, okay? Keep it low. You said your covenant is about keeping secrecy, so do it.” 

Caleb reached up to rub at his neck. “Easier said than done. Pogue is ready to kill him.”

“Pogue cannot take Chase, doesn’t he know that?” 

“Sure, he knows it. It doesn’t mean he’s not doing his level best to convince me to wipe him off the map.”

Sarah shot him an unimpressed look. “Didn’t you try that already? I don’t think violence is the answer here.” 

“Well, what do you suggest then?” Caleb said, exasperated.

“I–I don’t know. But two of you could take him, right?” 

“Probably. Assuming he doesn’t coerce Pogue into giving his power up.”

Sarah shivers at the idea of another attempt on Kate. “Maybe keep trying to follow him, make him use his power. He’ll slip up eventually.”

“I guess…” Caleb looked dubious, but then his face pulled into determined lines. “We’ll watch him, and make sure he can’t get near any of you again.”

Sarah privately doubted his ability to be everywhere at once, but she appreciated the thought. “Sounds like a plan. And thanks for keeping me in the loop.”

Caleb nodded. “Sorry I lied earlier. I won’t do it again.”

“Good. You’re forgiven.” Sarah leant up to place a soft kiss on Caleb’s cheek. 

Caleb’s smile was wide and genuine.

*&*&*

Sarah’s weekly phone call with her parents brought an unexpected twist, putting more urgency on her plans. 

“—and then we met the nicest boy doing a work-study thing who said he knows you!” her mother continued, oblivious to the sudden tightening of Sarah’s stomach. “His name was...oh, it started with a C? Charles, Chance, something. Very nice young man, so polite.”

“Chase?” 

“That sounds right. I’m sorry he was only there the one day. We’ve been back and the others aren’t nearly as charming.”

“And you talked to him about me?” 

“Well, of course! I’d never give up the chance to brag once I heard he was going to the same school.” 

Sarah winced, tried to smile. “Right, of course.”

“Honey, is something wrong?” 

“No, no, I’m just tired.”

“Well, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, then. We didn’t let you go so far away just so you could stay up all night and not study.”

“Yes, mom.”

*&*&*

Mrs. Kalin called the next day. “Your problem: you said he was a white boy, brown hair?” 

“Yes,” Sarah answers, dread creeping over her. 

“I saw him today, I think. Felt the power as you described it. He’s not very subtle, is he?” Mrs. Kalin’s attempted levity, mostly she came off as disturbed. 

Sarah laughed weakly. “No, no he’s not.”

“I can’t imagine dealing with five of them on a regular basis. But this is new, yes? He’s not expanded outside the school before.” 

“Not beyond threatening Caleb’s mom, no.” Sarah shifted the phone to between her ear and shoulder, finding a string in her drawer to play cat’s cradle with. The movements of the game calmed her, and she could weave simple spells with it, creating good intentions until they hovered pleasantly in the air around her.

“You said he’s been watching you. That sounds like stalking.” 

Sarah let out a breath at the word. “...yes, that sounds right. He contacted my parents, pretended to be a student on work-study. Oh god, I can’t be next. I don’t have the power he wants. Why is he targeting me?” 

“Sarah, Sarah, calm down, big breaths: in, out. Good, again. In, out.” 

Sarah followed Mrs. Kalin’s words, her quiet tone a life raft. “...Sorry.” 

“No need for apologies. This is a very stressful situation. But you’re right, Chase is breaking what we know of his pattern in following you. Why he’s doing it might well be important.” 

Sarah tried to focus. “Okay, so how do we figure that out?”

“When did he start following you?” 

“My first day here, although I didn’t know it at the time. I felt a presence in the bathroom the night after the opening party.” 

“But that was part of stalking Caleb?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.” 

“Okay, and you specifically?”

“After...our confrontation the night of the fall festival? After he and Caleb fought, I snuck into his room to see if there were any clues where he might go, or magical sources. Know your enemy and all that. He seemed surprised when I threw my charm bag at him, like he hadn’t considered other magical abilities existing before.”

“Well, that certainly gives me a thought,” Mrs. Kalin said.

“Me, too,” Sarah said thoughtfully.

“You think it might be fascination with our kind of magic. I don’t think he knows about my premonition, but something like that?” 

Mrs. Kalin hummed agreement. “Yes, and if we’re not too obvious about it. We could attract him closer. A moth to a flame. Then...snap! The trap closes.”

“You can do that kind of work?” Sarah barely dared to hope. They had a plan, something she could actually see working to change the situation for the better.

“Can I?” Mrs. Kalin laughed. “It was the focus of my thesis in grad school. It’ll be a pleasure to work those muscles again.” 

Sarah laughed too, a bit breathless. “I...I hope it works. I hope we’re right.”

“Me too, my dear, me too.” 

*&*&*

One of the boys escorted Sarah and Kate to and from their dorm now. Sarah thought it was pointless waste of time. 

“Closing the barn after the horses are gone,” she sang at them after they explained.

But it did let Sarah get to know Reid and Tyler. Sarah found them an odd pair. Reid was very young and brash, wanting to impress and yet lacking experience. Sarah could easily see him going the way of a “charm expert”, only seeing women for their bodies. She wasn’t sure how that happened when he grew up with Caleb. Thankfully Reid had given up on Sarah now that she and Caleb were back to being a couple, however tentatively. Tyler was quiet, and easily overlooked compared to his louder, bigger chosen siblings. Sarah found him charming, when he did speak. 

However, Pogue was nearly a constant now, attending to Kate with solicitous eagerness that Kate apparently couldn’t resist. Sarah found herself exiled to the common room more than a few times, awkwardly interacting with the girls on her floor. Caleb, on the other hand, was the rarest of sights outside of school, doggedly tracking any hint of Chase despite his consistent failure to find him. Sarah was glad of the break, honestly, giving her time to find her feet emotionally, not to mention plot with Mrs. Kalin.

*&*&*

Mrs. Kalin’s setup was complicated. A major spell was often delicate, involved work, and this one was proving no different. Mrs. Kalin offered her studio as the space to do it in, and once the spell was almost ready, Sarah started going there every other weeknight, showing Chase the way, drizzling honey to the real bait. It wasn’t like Caleb’s plan was working, after all.

The tension was exhausting, waiting for something to happen, but Sarah had a goal, and did her best to focus on that. That and schoolwork, of course, although Economics and Kierkegaard seemed pointless compared to the life and death situation she was trapped in. 

Mrs. Kalin was an able teacher, showing Sarah a new flavor of magic: one filled with intense spices, countered by remarkably bland bases, mixing together into a wonderfully organized cacophony, eminently customizable. They worked the finals steps of the trap, Sarah mostly watching, providing a second set of hands, under strict shielding, preventing eyes projected from afar from coming in, sending away all but the most determined of physical visitors. 

They hadn’t quite finished yet, and Mrs. Kalin said she would know when someone pushed against her barriers. The dread in Sarah’s stomach tightened, wanting to release but unable to yet.

Sarah thought she saw more frustration on Chase’s face as time passed, felt the stares on her back burning just a bit hotter. She gritted her teeth into a grim grin, and turned her mind back to work. They were almost ready. Chase didn’t seem to have much patience when attacking Caleb, but he’d had a time limit: Caleb’s birthday. Now that he had time, he seemed inclined to use it, although it went counter to an addict’s stereotypical impulsiveness. 

The trap was ultimately a simple piece of magic: harnessing the object of the spell’s power to create itself. The tricky part was making the object of it the most powerful person in the room. Similar to programming, the logic of each facet needed to be correct, in the right place, referencing the right things, or it all would fall apart. And when dealing with someone whose power was so great it aged them prematurely...they needed it perfect.

They tested it on small power-imbued objects after it was complete. It worked. Sarah’s tension only spiralled higher. Mrs. Kalin decided to move on in their lessons, giving Sarah other knowledge while the spell waited, patient and unthinking, to be tripped.

Sarah’s precognition remained silent, as it often did after a big event or when she was actively looking for clues to the future. Her gift seemed to work best when Sarah just let it work passively, an annoying fact of life. However, it also worked best for negative events, so maybe the silence was a good sign.

Sarah began to doubt after a week, then two. Maybe Chase’s goal wasn’t her kind of power, maybe their encounter had been a hallucination after all… She discussed the possibility with Mrs. Kalin, and they agreed: one more week, and then they would move on to another tack. The spell was portable, and they could ostensibly attack with it, although such an aggressive move went counter to both of their feelings on the matter. 

Finally, it worked. Mrs. Kalin looked up during a lesson on engraving metal as though listening for something. Sarah snapped from happily engrossed creativity to adrenaline-pushed awareness at the gesture, something in the other woman’s posture or movement setting off her internal alarms.. 

Mrs. Kalin looked back to her, mouth grim, and nodded once to Sarah’s questioning face. “He’s coming.”

Sarah took a breath, then visually checked the trap, each interconnecting link set into the walls, looking like nothing more than a small hand-carved trinket on the outside. It responded, as though to Sarah’s attention, the power pulsing once and then disappearing, waiting.

It didn’t take long after that. They stuck to the plan, Mrs. Kalin letting Chase claw through the shields rather than pull them down, welcoming him in. Her lips were pinched as he set his brute force power against hers like a mad ripping dog against a silk dress. Sarah could feel the echoes of it, the unsettling pulses of power, burning spices in her nose. 

“Whatever he’s learned from his books, subtlety in dismantling shields was not one of the lessons,” Mrs. Kalin said, voice tart.

Chase teleported inside, coalescing from smoke. His eyes, once they lost their black sheen, were blown with power use. Sarah felt her heart rate spike, and clenched her hand around the hammer she’d been using, but stayed sitting at the table. 

Chase looked at them with what might be an ingratiating smile, if his eyes had been warm. They were not, the pupils unsettlingly large, and the upper half of his face seemed to be disconnected from the lower. 

He opened his mouth to speak. “Afternoon, ladies.” Putting a hand out, Chase flicked his fingers. The trinkets in the walls floated towards him, coalescing in a circle spaced a few feet away from each other, with him as the center. Forehead crinkling in confusion, Chase gestured again, and the objects pull in closer, power flickering between them, a sinuous lightning that coalesced into a rippling shield. 

Sarah watched, amazed at the effect, wanting to whoop in happiness, but cautious of celebrating too soon.

“No!” Chase snarled, the sound of his voice muted, and threw a hand out in a cutting gesture aimed at Mrs. Kalin. The trinkets pushed out, then in again, the shield thickening visibly. 

Chase threw himself forward in a jump. An attempt to teleport? And failed. He landed badly, tripping and falling to his knees.

“It worked…” Sarah said, staring.

“Of course it did,” Mrs. Kalin replied briskly, “We worked hard on that spell.” 

“What now?” Sarah asked, suddenly aware of how little she’d planned past this, unable to imagine actually winning. 

“Now we let him wear himself out, and question him when he calms down,” Mrs. Kalin said peaceably, ignoring the grunts of effort that are quickly turning to screams of frustration on the other side of the room. “How are you doing on that amulet, dear?”

*&*&*

It took longer than Sarah would have guessed for both of those things to happen. When she left for the night, Chase was still pushing against the boundary, which had thickened to opacity, not letting much sound through. It was disquieting to realize what they were doing was basically kidnapping, not allowing someone their physical freedom, but the sense of relief that washed over her as she drove back to the dorms, utterly free of watching, malevolent eyes, overwhelmed any guilt she might have. 

She came back the next day to find Chase still encircled, sitting on the floor and sullenly eating an apple under Mrs. Kalin’s unimpressed gaze.

“Have you started asking him anything yet?” Sarah asked. 

“A few things. I thought you might connect better. He seems to have something against adults.” 

Chase laughed humorlessly, sound coming through clearly this time. “I can hear you, crazy bitch.” 

Mrs. Kalin rolled her eyes, sending a look Sarah’s way as if to say “see what I have to deal with?” 

Sarah couldn’t take it quite as calmly, her nerves accustomed to reacting to Chase by now, but she’s good at faking it. She sat down on the floor across from him as Mrs. Kalin retreated to the other end of the room. Sarah was comfortable here now, familiar with the place, cushions within easy reach. “So, how’s it going?” 

“Just peachy,” Chase drawled. “Kidnapped, fed inferior food, not allowed to use my powers—”

“You’re allowed,” Mrs. Kalin called, “they just don’t do anything but feed the spell.” 

Chase growled, eyes going black, and the opacity of the shield rippled, barely disturbed. 

“Keep doing that and you’ll never get out,” Mrs. Kalin remarked.

“Mrs. Kalin, please,” Sarah broke in. 

Mrs. Kalin sighed and shook her head, “Sorry, dear, this one is just so easy to bait.”

Sarah had to work not to smile.

Chase scowled.

Sarah looked him up and down. “That is something you should work on.”

“Excuse me for being a bit angry that I’ve been kidnapped! By a stupid old woman and a naive teenager who shouldn’t be able to swat a fly with magic between them!” 

“And yet here we are.” Sarah laughed. “You think your power is the only kind out there? That it’s the best? You have another think coming if you do.” She leaned forward, capturing Chase’s eyes, and whispered. “I’ve been able to see the future since I was 12.” 

His intrigued look came back, quickly disguised behind a scowl. Sarah smiled, satisfied, and leaned back. Chase swayed, catching himself from following her. 

“What about you?” She asked. “I’ll trade you an answer for an answer.”

Chase’s face was a picture of conflict. Sarah waited, looking around the room nonchalantly. 

“Fine,” Chase finally said, the very epitome of resentment. “I was 13 when I found out I could control the wind.” 

Sarah considered this. “Interesting.” 

“What can you see?” Chase asked.

“Oh, it’s sporadic. I saw that Caleb was important somehow. I felt the barn was dangerous. I smelled smoke around you.” 

“That’s not very useful,” Chase sneered. 

Sarah shrugged. “I’m glad it’s not any stronger. People with strong senses of the future tend to get lost in it, in all the possibilities. I have enough to warn me away from danger, at least, not push me towards it. So you can control the wind, and I’ve seen you teleport. That’s impressive, by the way.” She figured a bit of flattery couldn’t hurt. “Tell me, where did you get your books?” 

Chase pressed his lips together, looking confused by the question. “My books?”

“The spellbooks in your closet. The ones I nearly took.”

“Oh, those.” Chase waved them away. “My biological father had them. I took what seemed useful after his death.”

“When he willed you his powers,” Sarah continued.

Chase’s head bobbed, not quite a nod, defensively dismissing the statement. 

“You haven’t read through them, have you?” It was a guess. 

Chase looked mulish. “They’re in Latin.” 

“Ah, so you have no idea what you’re doing.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, silly boy,” Mrs. Kalin interjected from across the room, not looking up from her project.

Baring his teeth at her, Chase looked back to Sarah. “You’re saying there’s more to magic than what I can imagine?” He licked his lips suggestively. “I have a very good imagination.”

“Imagination is an excellent thing,” Sarah allowed, ignoring the pathetic attempt to intimidate, “but there’s something to be said for learning from tradition, no? Less you have to work out for yourself, on your own. A better idea of how it works beyond ‘because I want it to’. Hundreds of years of magic spells, pre-figured out, and magical theory, Chase.” Sarah leaned in again. “If you knew your theory, you might have a chance of getting out of this trap.” 

Chase eyed her suspiciously. “So you’re offering me knowledge. In exchange for what?” 

Sarah considered him carefully. “We want to break the curse on you.” 

“Curse?” Chase laughed. “What curse? I feel fine!” He rocked forward, flaring the trinkets out again.

“Chase,” Sarah said gently. “You know you’re addicted, and you want it to stop. You told Caleb as much. You use, and you use, and it’s going to age you, kill you early. We can fix it.” 

“By taking away my power? That will kill me!” Chase shouted, the barrier muting him down to speaking level after the first word. 

“Not all of it.” Mrs. Kalin walked back to them. “You’re magical, like Sarah, like me. We would never strip you of your power completely, not unless you truly wanted that.” 

“What, then? How far does it go?” Chase snarled. “You’ll keep me here until I accept?” 

“All we want is to take away the power that hurts you, that makes you want to use and age yourself, that’s made you so desperate for others’ power, because it is a curse, Chase,” Sarah said earnestly. “It’s a story children tell each other to scare themselves now, in our communities. Your 17 times great grandmother, and Caleb’s, and the rest, cursed themselves to avoid being found during the witch trials. They hid their power in the first born sons because men, and men with money and power were the ones who got away with their crimes. It was never meant to continue this way, I can guarantee you.”

“If we cannot come to an agreement, we’d let you go with a geas not to hurt others except in self-defense,” Mrs. Kalin said sternly. “Our kind deals with threats the law cannot handle. Considering you claim to have murdered at least three people, this is a kindness.”

Chase looked vaguely stunned, almost hurt. He looked at the women, obviously reconsidering. 

Mrs. Kalin stepped back, putting a hand on Sarah’s arm. “Let’s give him time to think it over.”

*&*&*&*

Sarah was putting the last finishing details on another amulet, Mrs. Kalin in the other room, getting something to string it on, when Chase finally spoke up. “Can you show me the sources?” 

“What?” Sarah looked up. 

“Or is it just a story, about the witches?” Chase looked brittle. 

Sarah considered her answer. “I’ve not looked for any sources, honestly. I don’t like reading about witch burnings.”

“But I have.” Mrs. Kalin stepped closer, a plastic spool of leather cording in one hand. “It’s a side effect of living here. I collect sources on the witch trials, including primary documents from the witches themselves. I hear the Danvers have some very interesting ones.” She shot a look at Sarah, grinning faintly. Then she sobered. 

“The curse for binding an entire family’s magic together into one person existed as early as the 1300’s. It was a punishment on a generation, sometimes aimed at the person the magic was gathered into, because they were exceedingly powerful, but that power was stolen from family members, creating resentment. They became addicted, mentally unstable, and ultimately doomed to die early. Even if their family didn’t blame them, one person cannot protect an entire extended clan. Sometimes it was cast out of necessity, as your foremothers did. I’ve even heard of some doing it because they wanted the power. Unchecked, these spells either cause the family line to die out, or they forcefully propagate the next generation. They’re a horror.” 

Sarah and Chase both stared at Mrs. Kalin. Sarah found herself rethinking the attraction she felt towards Caleb, how she’d failed to run after learning the whole story, willing to continue their relationship even when all of them were in great danger. Was she influenced by the magic on him? All five family lines living up ‘til this point seemed to point to either lots of luck, or the spell having a component that helped them survive and...breed. 

“Oh gods and goddesses,” Sarah murmured.

Mrs. Kalin came over to Sarah, and, apparently reacting to the look on her face, gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, dear, the way you were acting, I assumed you knew about it. Phooey on me.” 

Chase scoffed, “You’re comforting her? Hello, product of this thing you’re talking about over here.”

“While I acknowledge the horror of everything involved, you will be quiet, young man, until you can act with respect,” Mrs. Kalin said frostily, and the shielding opaqued, muting sound.

Sarah laughed, a bit helplessly. “That’s amazing, I need one for all the boys.” 

“I sometimes wish I could use them more freely myself…” Mrs. Kalin murmured. She gave Sarah one last squeeze. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just a shock. You think of magic as this great thing, usually a small thing, and then realize it might be pushing you.”

“If it’s any solace, it’s probably not something that can override free will,” Mrs. Kalin said. “It simply encourages existing feelings, intensifies them, makes the relationship move faster, making reckless behavior a bit more likely…”

Sarah feels bitter, seeing how all of it happened with Caleb, so obvious in retrospect. “Obviously it’s very good at it.” 

“Well, yes, well-cast magic generally is.”

Chase’s voice finally became audible again at this point. “-sorry, okay? Stupid spell…” 

“Oh, finally decided to be nice?” Mrs. Kalin asked, tone cutting.

“Yes, alright.” Chase looked chastised, harried. “I’m sorry, I’ll do better.” 

“Good, Sarah’s had her moment. What do you think about this?”

“I still want those sources,” Chase said, stubbornness stealing over his face, “but you don’t seem like you’re lying.” He looked away, voice dying to a mutter.

Mrs. Kalin nodded. “Glad to hear it. I’ll get you the books, and you can make your decision after you’ve looked them over. I hope you choose thoughtfully.”

Sarah hoped so too.

*&*&*

Chase had been poring over several tomes, reading intently, when Sarah left for campus. Her cover of a mentorship/crafting class only went so far. 

“Hey, how’d it go?” Kate called as Sarah walked in. She was at the mirror, dressed to the nines, fixing her makeup.

“Fine, almost have a metal necklace!” Sarah waved it off, coming to sit on the bed behind the mirror. “And la dee da, what is up with you?” 

“Well, if you’d been around lately, I would’ve told you,” Kate replied, delicately swiping the mascara brush over her lashes. 

“Sorry about that, my teacher is pretty intense lately.” 

“Mmhm. So, Pogue totally made a huge gesture, completely sweet. Took me to the field outside, apologized for his jealousy, said he’d try to do better, asked me out to a super fancy place as a symbol of it all.” Kate laughed. “I think the boys were all in on it. Pogue is not good at the romance, normally.”

“That’s awesome,” Sarah said, genuinely pleased for her friend. Then she remembered the curse. She hesitated. “So...I have a really weird question that you are totally allowed to take a pass on, okay?”

“Okaaay.” Kate looked up, the mirror letting her meet Sarah’s eyes behind her. “Go for it.”

“I just...did you ever feel like you were rushing with Pogue? Falling so fast you didn’t have time to think.”

Kate considered the question, swirling a brush over the entirety of her face. “Sometimes? I mean, we’re young and horny, so falling into bed seemed pretty normal. But the other stuff, relationship stuff...yeah, it happened fast. We were serious within, like, the first month?” She turned around, and made a ‘tada’ gesture, shifting her body to show off different angles. Her makeup faded into the background as one took in the dress: a light blue frock with wrapped details, tucking into her waist.

Sarah nodded, grinning approval. “Gorgeous.”

“Being so serious is hard, sometimes. Making a relationship work...is actual work! I’m glad Pogue’s trying, because I know I am.” Kate gestured to her clothing, self-aware smirk on her face. 

“Do you think it’ll last?” 

Kate tched, face unsure. “I hope it does. I want it to. Wedding bells and kids and the whole nine yards. But what about you? You and Caleb seem distant lately.”

“Yeah,” Sarah sighed, “I found out he lied to me about something, trying to protect me from it. And that’s put the whole thing in doubt. I want to trust him. Like you said, I’d like it to be something good and lasting. He’s apologized and made a few steps towards fixing it, but then he’s been really busy lately.” Sarah shrugged. “I’ve got my own stuff going on, so I don’t mind it too much.”

Kate looked down at her skeptically. “Bring him back into line! He’s a good one, I told you. We could be quite the pair, hmm? Snagging two old family boys, make all the other girls jealous.” She smirked.

“Heh, yeah, we’ll see,” Sarah said. “So, when’s your date?” 

“Seven. Pogue’s picking me up…” Kate’s phone went off. “And that should be him.” She answered the phone. “Hey. Yes, I am, actually. I’ll see you in a second.” Kate went to the closet, wriggling into a jacket, double-checking her clutch for the essentials. 

“Good luck,” Sarah called. 

“Thanks!” Kate blew a kiss at Sarah. Sarah grabbed it and pretended to swoon. Kate giggled and closed the door. 

Silence fell, and Sarah sighed. “Right.” She flopped on the bed, suddenly exhausted. It had been a long day. Her phone chose that moment to go off, and she found a message from Caleb on it. Staring at the notification for a moment, Sarah pushed past her misgivings to open it.

_Hey, Chase seems to be gone for now. Want to catch dinner and movie Friday?_

Sarah pursed her lips and put the phone down, not willing to answer right away. This she had to think about. If the curse was working with her own attraction (and Caleb’s) then going to dinner might well make it worse. She had to be sure it was her own idea, her pace, not some outside force pushing her where she didn’t want to go. 

Did she even have time to do this? Mid-terms were approaching, and making up with Caleb, considering how busy she was with Chase, might just be a distraction. Sarah shook her head, putting the thoughts away as she got comfortable for the night.

*&*&*&*

Mrs. Kalin called her the next day, sounding faux-mournful. “He says he won’t decide without you here. I don’t think he trusts me.” 

Sarah sighed. “Okay, I’ll see you this afternoon.” 

Caleb kept shooting her hopeful glances in class. Sarah did her best to ignore him. 

Walking into Mrs. Kalin’s studio was a wholly different experience in terms of magic and emotion this time. Chase was calm, standing near the table. He didn’t look angry or sullen, mostly tired and sad. The trinkets floating around him were spinning slowly at a constant distance away from him, the shield clear.

“I can’t say you look better, but Mrs. Kalin said you’d made up your mind?” 

Chase nodded sharply. “You were right. This addiction, this curse, they’re not something I asked for, and if you can change them for me, I’ll allow it.” 

“It’s more than permission we need, Chase,” Mrs. Kalin said. “It’s willingness to change, to let go of old, harmful ways, and embrace new paths.”

“Right, close a door, open a window?” 

“Something like that.” 

Chase blinked, long and slow, “You can’t expect a real change of heart so quickly, under these circumstances.”

“No.”

“The best I can say is I’d rather not be addicted. I don’t like having to go to extremes because of it. Just because I’m good at killing people doesn’t mean I want to.”

“We’ll take it,” Sarah said. 

They got started on the counter-spell immediately. Mrs. Kalin had already gathered the components she could, but such a spell was unique to the object, using hair, an object with their magic imbued, or, best of all, blood. 

Mrs. Kalin had designed the shielding not to interfere with magic focused at the object of the spell, so they worked in safety, not having to worry about a double cross.

Sarah enjoyed seeing Mrs. Kalin so in her element, the subtle workings of the spell looking easy when she did it. She helped as she could, lending her support physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They encircled Chase, lighting candles at the four corners, purifying the space of malevolent influence, focused their intent on Chase’s bloodline and magic using the samples he’d given them, then spoke the words that should reverse what had been done.

“Repeat after me: Genitrix meum,” Mrs. Kalin spoke calmly, voice clear.

Chase’s face was set, determined as he sat in the middle of their setup. “Genitrix meum...”

“...ad potentia et omnia reditio.” Mrs. Kalin finished. 

“...ad potentia et omnia reditio.”

Chase’s eyes widened, his body stiffening. His eyes went black, then lightning flashed from his fingers into the ground, sparking for several seconds. Chase collapsed on his side, head bumping the floor. The trinkets fell to the ground around him. 

Sarah made to move forward and help, but Mrs. Kalin halted her with an arm. “He doesn’t look hurt. We should wait for him to regain consciousness before breaking the circle.” 

It only took a minute before Chase stirred, a good sign. He pushed himself up, then looked at them, alert.

“How are you feeling?” Mrs. Kalin asked, her tone utterly neutral.

Chase’s face went confused, “Empty? Not powerless, but-” He squinted and one of the trinkets in front of him barely rolled. His eyes did not change. “Oh, that kind of hurt.” He sounded surprised, putting a hand to his head.

“Good. Pain lets you know when you’ve over-exerted yourself.” Mrs. Kalin moved forward, sweeping her foot to break the circle, smudging the line and pushing a candle out of place. “Power that is created solely from your own body and soul has limits, just as your muscles get tired. It feels good to exercise, but it’s also work. It’s not a drug that only gives you the high.” 

“I...see.” Chase sounded a bit dazed. “This is going to take getting used to.” 

“Don’t worry, this is not where we stop. You should never have been abandoned to learn your power alone. I’m happy to teach you if you wish, or find you another teacher better suited to your particular gifts.” 

“Right.” 

“Sarah, let’s take our guest to the bedroom.” 

Sarah nodded, and helped someone who’d once attacked and terrified her to his feet.

*&*&*

Sarah wasn’t sure if it was the removal of most of his power so quickly, or simply that Chase couldn’t use as he was accustomed, but the consequences are obvious. 

Magical withdrawal turned out to be just as bad as any other kind. Chase got increasingly antsy the first day after the curse is removed, habitual gestures that might once have summoned power turning into twitches. By the second day he was sweating, complaining of a headache, asking them to do something. 

Mrs. Kalin gave him some pain pills. 

“What, no herbal concoctions?” The words were weak, acid too diluted to really hurt.

“We do something now to affect your magic and it may affect you the rest of your life,” Mrs. Kalin explained. “We have to let it even out on its own.”

The third day was the worst. Chase was metaphorically chained to a bucket, dry heaving, begging for something, anything to take away the pain. Sarah and Mrs. Kalin switched off helping him through it. Sarah was grateful it was the weekend, relieving her of having to attend classes.

During her turns, Sarah kept waiting for violence from him, a taser in her pocket, an emergency spell to knock him unconscious memorized. They’re harsh measures that could damage him, but Sarah felt safer with backups in place. Thankfully, the violence didn’t erupt. Chase was docile, almost helpless. Sarah was starting to think she didn’t know the real him at all. 

Chase finally fell asleep, halfway through her watch. The bad dreams that made him speak were nearly as bad as watching him heave. 

“No! Please. Mom,” Chase whines, hand coming up defensively. Sarah tried not to listen, especially to ones like this. She didn’t want to know this, didn’t want to pity someone who had hurt and terrified her and her friends. Maybe it was just a dream, not a memory.

She got up to find a glass of water for herself, leaving Chase to his restless sleep. Mrs. Kalin was out in the kitchen, hands cupped over a mug, dark circles etched under her eyes. 

“Hey,” Sarah sighed, beelining for the sink.

Mrs. Kalin nodded back at her. “He’s sleeping?”

“Yeah.” Sarah hesitated, using the time to get and fill a cup from the faucet. Sitting at the table next to her mentor, she pushed past misgivings. “He’s talking in his sleep. It doesn’t sound...good.”

“People often have nightmares during withdrawal. Brain chemistry.” Mrs. Kalin grimaced. “Complicated stuff.” 

“What he’s saying sounds more like memories. Regrets, even.” 

“Ah,” Mrs. Kalin sighed. “It could be. Might not. I say we judge him by his conscious actions, not his unconscious ones.” 

“Mm.” Sarah took a drink of tap water, savoring the free air of the kitchen’s larger space, then mentally girded herself to go back inside Caleb’s room. “Wish me luck,” she said grimly.

“Good luck,” Mrs. Kalin said with a salute. “I’ll come relieve you in an hour.”

“Thanks.”

After her shift was over, Sarah’s phone vibrated in her pocket, reminding her of the messages she’d been ignoring. She opened her phone to check them, trying to focus tired eyes. 

_Where are you? Caleb’s been asking me._ The most recent message was from Kate, but looking through her inbox there were a few from Caleb. 

The first was a mention of their possible date...yesterday: _Just wanted to know if you were up for tonight?_

“Crap,” Sarah groaned. She’d been so utterly consumed in the situation with Chase that going out with Caleb had slipped her mind. She’d never replied to his text. 

They get increasingly agitated after the first.

_Can you text me back? I need to know you’re okay._

_Please respond, Kate says you went into town and hasn’t seen you since Friday night._

Sarah had felt too tired to drive the night they broke the curse, and stayed with Mrs. Kalin, on the couch, only returning to the dorms to grab some clothes and toiletries the next day. Kate hadn’t been there when she had gone. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal, but the boys didn’t know Chase was here, neutralized. 

She sent a text to both of them, reassuring them that she was alive, okay, and headed back to the dorms. She needed to go back and change out clothing, anyway. Chase was finally getting a bit better, so she didn’t feel terrible leaving Mrs. Kalin to deal with him on her own.

Caleb was there, waiting outside the dorms as she walked from her parking space. 

“Where were you? You scared the hell out of me.” 

Sarah couldn’t help the defensive tone to her voice. “I don’t need a keeper, Caleb. Sorry for having a life besides you.”

Caleb put his hands up in surrender. “I don’t want to be scary stalker guy, but we do have a crazy guy known for kidnapping you on the loose.”

Sarah sighed. “Right, thank you for caring. Let’s go inside.” 

The walk through the halls was tense and silent. They reached Sarah and Kate’s room and Kate opened the door at her knock.

“There you are.” Kate moved in for a brief hug. “I was getting worried.” 

“I’m fine, I’m here. Just seeing a family friend in town and got talking too late and too tired to drive. If I’d known you’d worry so much I’d have told you guys about it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to change?” 

Caleb waited outside as Sarah changed quickly into fresh clothes, happy to banish the smell of sick that she kept noticing. She really wanted a shower, but Caleb needed to be addressed first. Kate opened the door to let him in at Sarah’s nod, then discreetly disappeared downstairs with a basket of laundry. 

Sarah got them settled, she on her desk chair, Caleb sitting on the bed. It was half a fantasy come true, and Sarah felt the familiar pull of want. Caleb looked up, perhaps thinking the same thing, wry grin stealing over his face. Sarah huffed a breath out and focused on more important things. 

“So, I guess I have a confession to make?” she started.

Caleb’s eyebrows went up. He didn’t look like the anticipation was a happy thing for him. 

Sarah tried to organize her thoughts, put the story into a coherent narrative, like their English professor tried to teach. 

“I’m magic,” She blurted, actively avoiding Caleb’s eyes. “Not like you with your…” She gestured at him, “overwhelming power. Just a little magic.” She stopped, waiting for the reaction. An explosion, anything.

“You’re...magic,” Caleb repeated. “Just a little.” He laughed lightly. “This isn’t that big of a surprise, you know.”

Sarah looked up, startled, hopeful.

Caleb continued, “What, you didn’t think we knew about lesser practitioners? Well, the other boys may not, but the histories have mentions, usually with warnings not to get too involved. Our ancestors seemed to think people would want to steal away our power.”

Now it was Sarah’s turn to react, she opened her mouth, inhaling, then paused and reconsidered her response. 

Caleb looked at her teasingly, “You’re not going to try to steal mine away, right?” 

“No,” Sarah said, “but I may have...broken Chase’s? With his permission,” she hastened to add. 

“What?” Caleb looked disturbed. 

Sarah rushed through her explanation. “My family friend is a witch, too. And we’ve learned that how you get your power is a like, a curse? Breaking it means the power is more spread out, redistributing it over a family line. Not that Chase has any close blood relatives, so I don’t really know where it goes, maybe just...out there. But he’s not a threat anymore.”

“I see,” Caleb said, a bit blankly. “Explains why you were gone, at least. Or not, Jesus. How did you manage it? Why didn’t you ask us for help?”

“I wasn’t sure how you’d react to me telling you this. And Chase had to be lulled into thinking he was invincible. It was a test, in a way, to see if we could even do it.” 

“What were you going to do if it didn’t work?”

“Put a geas on him.” Sarah said promptly, relieved to have that answer sound and well thought out, at least.

Caleb’s eyebrows went sky-high. “Even I don’t know how to do that, who the hell is your friend? Where did he get his spells from? His power? Or is this all your...idea?” 

“She,” Sarah emphasized the word, an ugly twist in her stomach at Caleb’s suspicion, “is an experienced witch who’s been practicing and learning for forty years. Family books aren’t the only magical knowledge out there, Caleb. And I’ve been learning magic since I was twelve and had a feeling about the future that turned out to be very true. Scary true.” She pauses to breathe. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but it was necessary.”

Caleb laughed, a bit bitterly. “I guess I know how you feel about it, now.”

Sarah grimaced. “Yeah, not my intention there.”

They sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say. 

“I guess I should go, then.” Caleb made to get up. “I’d like to make sure of Chase, though.” 

“Yeah...yeah. Tomorrow?” 

Caleb nodded. “Text me.” His smile twisted, thin and insincere.

Sarah sat, thinking, for several minutes after Caleb left. Then she got up and found a towel. New clothes were not enough. 

Showering made her think back to the very first time she’d felt malevolent magic here. Chase, watching, stalking Caleb’s friends and family to get his way. The memory didn’t scare her now. But then, there were other girls here this time of day, washing off before a night out, or just to feel luxurious. 

It felt like a luxury to Sarah, hot water and scents of shampoos and body washes intertwining, a welcome relief from the tension and sickness she’d been part of for the past three days.

Goddess knows how she and Caleb were going to work this out, because Sarah certainly didn’t. She did her best to put it away, focusing on the relaxing warmth of her shower. 

Kate was back in their room when she returned, anxiously waiting on the scoop. 

“Well?”

“Well, what?” Sarah stalled.

“What happened?” Kate asks, voice stretching ludicrously. “Did you break up, make up? Throw him over for another man?”

Sarah laughed in surprise, and settled in to tell Kate what she could.

“Maybe you’ve noticed Chase hasn’t been around the past week?” 

Kate’s head tilted, eyes flicking to the right. “Oh yeah, his seat’s been empty. I figured he was just skipping the one class.”

“Well, I found out he had a drug problem.”

“No!” Kate gasped, obviously enjoying the drama. 

“Yes. He went on a bender right around Fall Festival, which is how the barn ended up burning down. Although if you tell anyone this me and Caleb will vehemently deny it.”

“I knew there was something off about you two getting in trouble. You’re not the arson type.” Kate said, relishing the words.

Sarah snorted. “Right, so after that Chase realized how much of an issue his addiction was, and I managed to convince him to quit.”

Kate applauded, light and quick. 

“But he didn’t want to go to a rehab place, so I used some family connections to find a local homeopathic person. My parents are kind of hippies.” Sarah shrugged. “I’ve been helping this lady keep an eye on him this weekend.”

“Brave, compassionate, and beautiful, I don’t see why Caleb is having any trouble dating you.” Kate declared.

Sarah cringed. “Well...I kind of failed to tell him about this.”

“He’s not jealous, is he?” 

“Not exactly, but he’s definitely not liking having his own medicine thrown back at him.” Sarah looked away. “I didn’t much like doing it, but Chase asked for privacy.”

Kate looked intrigued. “So, do you have a love triangle now?” 

“No…” Sarah shudders. “Chase is so not my type. I don’t think I’m his, either, if you know what I mean.” 

Kate took this in, shook her head. “No! I did not get a gay vibe from him at all.” 

“Yeah, well, he kissed Caleb during his bender.” 

Kate considered this, then shook her head again. “Can’t hold what he did high as good evidence, sorry.”

“Fair enough.” Sarah shrugged, then sprawled on the bed. “Enough about men, boys, whatever. How’s your family doing?”

Kate smiled, changing tack. “Really good, my younger sister just got into a private prep school.”

“Good for her!” 

“Yeah, everyone’s really proud. It’s close to home, too, so she doesn’t have to go far. I know my mom’s relieved about that. She’s not quite ready to let another baby go.”

It’s Sarah’s turn to shake her head. “I cannot imagine having three siblings, or a mom that is so attached to all of you.”

“Only child syndrome,” Kate said solemnly. “Induces independence and a solitary nature early on.” 

Sarah laughed, and threw a pillow across the gap between their beds. “Oh yeah, so what are you doing here, twice as far away as I am?”

Kate didn’t even need to duck, the pillow was so far off target. Grin on her face, she retaliated with her own pillow, landing a solid hit. “Multiple child syndrome, the inability to get away until high school!” 

Sarah couldn’t find the energy to retaliate after that, and their conversation devolved into sleepy mumbles. Sarah was unsurprised to find herself utterly exhausted, and grateful for another day of weekend to find rest in.

*&*&*

Sarah dragged herself out of bed Sunday morning, achingly aware of everything she needed to do. Homework ran a distant second to bringing Caleb to meet a newly depowered Chase. She called Mrs. Kalin to run the idea by both of them, realizing with a cringe that she should have done it last night.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Kalin, it’s Sarah. How’s our guest doing?” 

“Better. He’s stopped throwing up and doesn’t need constant supervision anymore. I’ve planted him in front of the TV with a bowl of soup.” 

“Good, good. I hate to ask, but would he and you be up for a visitor? Caleb needs...confirmation that our attempts worked.” 

“That boy.” Mrs. Kalin’s tone was dark. She tsked. “Doubting me. I’ll go ask our guest.” 

There was a thunk as Mrs. Kalin laid her handset on the table. Sarah waited anxiously through the few minutes it took for her to return. 

“He’s not exactly happy with the idea, but he’ll allow it.” 

Sarah sighed, relieved. “Thank goodness. I’ll be by with Caleb in an hour or two.” 

“Alright, dearie, see you then.”

Sarah texted Caleb to come pick her up. He showed up fast enough that Sarah suspected he had been dressed and waiting for the invitation. The ride into town was nothing like their first date. The wind frigid enough that the magically repaired windows are a necessity. Sarah still shivered, though. 

Caleb managed to break the silence once. “Tell me how you did it?” 

“A spell trap. Powered by his own magic usage. What you said about him not being able to stop was a major point of it. If he’d quit for long enough, it would’ve fallen apart. But he kept trying to use magic to get out.” 

“Clever.” Caleb’s voice was grim.

“It’s basic magic theory, actually. Use what you have.” 

“Sure. I meant the curse, though.” 

Sarah could almost hear the quotation marks around the word. “Not so simple, that. Requires a willing participant to give up the power that is hurting them.”

“Our power is linked to our life. Why didn’t he die?”

 

“The spell uses hair and blood, keeping the person alive, resetting their normal level of power to something...typical.” 

“And he can’t age himself now?” 

“Not unless he learns a hell of a lot of spell-craft, no. The curse is high level stuff, which is one reason it’s lasted so long. He doesn’t have the feedback required for addiction now, either. ”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “It sounds perfect. Exactly what I’ve wanted since I was 13. Did you know that?”

“No. I thought this kind of power was a fairy tale, most of my life.” 

“Go figure.” Caleb stopped talking after that.

Sarah directed Caleb to Mrs. Kalin’s house, a small residential area not far from the town proper. They pulled up, and Caleb cut the engine. 

“Moment of truth,” he said. “I really hope you’re not lying.”

Sarah was not sure how to react to that. “Me either?”

Sarah was hyper-aware of how the place must look to Caleb as she led them inside, the clean urbanity, decorated almost randomly, with tiny hints of something more: the paint on the wall holding sigils of good faith and protection, only visible if you knew what you were looking for; wind catchers placed perfectly at the cardinal directions, each a certain array of colors, sometimes chiming merrily without wind; the calendar with wiccan holy days written in with a flourish; the background scent of candle smoke, of incense; and to those with a sense of atmosphere, of magic in the air, there was a warm, comfortable feeling that enveloped as one walked in, harmonious, good-willed use of magic leaving traces that had built up over time. 

Sarah led the way through the living room, past the attached kitchen, to the short hall that led to the studio and bedrooms. 

Reaching the open doorway to the guest bedroom, they found Mrs. Kalin sitting beside the bed, reading a book. Chase was dozing in the bed, face pale and drawn from his days of withdrawal. Mrs. Kalin put a finger to her lips and gestures them out, rising silently, then twisting to put her book in the chair she’s just left. 

Sarah nodded and turned, finding Caleb behind her, his face pinched, body tensed to attack or defend. Sarah jerks her head towards the way they just came, and Caleb moves. 

They retreated to the living room, where they all sat at Mrs. Kalin’s direction.

Mrs. Kalin began, voice a little lower in volume than normal. “He just got to sleep half an hour ago. I figured you’d be able to sense his power or not even if he was unconscious.” 

Sarah looked at Caleb quizzically.

Caleb’s eyebrows drew together. “No… I’ve only sensed people’s power when they were using it.”

“Really?” Mrs. Kalin sounded vaguely disbelieving. “I suppose that explains your general…” She gestured at him, a small twist of her fingers, “swirliness.” 

Sarah laughed, surprised, and tried to stop when she sees Caleb’s utter confusion. 

“What are you talking about?” He asked. 

Mrs. Kalin sighed, “I’d hoped it was just Chase. Most trained magic-users know how to hide their power from those who can sense it. Your tradition really has been lost, I see.” 

Sarah spoke up. “The other boys are the same, maybe worse.” 

“Oh, goddess help me,” Mrs. Kalin said. She pointed sternly at Caleb. “Chase is a big enough project for me, but we are finding you boys teachers. No more of this ‘assume they know what they’re doing’ nonsense.”

Caleb bristled. “We have our histories and spellbooks. We’ve been doing fine on our own for all our lives.” 

“And what histories they must be. You’ve managed not to kill anyone, at least. But, I assure you, you can do much better than that.” She gestures again at Caleb. “I’ll go wake up Chase, have him demonstrate his lack of power, and then you can go and leave us alone.”

Caleb scowled, but didn’t object, so Mrs. Kalin rose, heading back to the guest room.

It didn’t take long for Chase to limp out, obviously not steady on his feet, but refusing Mrs. Kalin’s help.

“Had to come and double check I was down for the count, I guess?” Chase rasped. He was sweating just from walking here. Sarah hoped they didn’t have any way of faking this, that Caleb would take it at face value, because it looked entirely real to her.

Caleb looked uncomfortable, a bit angry. “Of course I did, trusting you to be any kind of consistent is asking for it.” He bared his teeth, more a grimace than a smile. “Glad you got some help before it was too late.” 

Chase didn’t react, face keeping the same tired, unimpressed look. “What do you need, Caleb? To leave me alone.”

The feeling of anger intensified, but Caleb didn’t move, kept his voice even. “Do some magic, if you can.”

Lips twisting, Chase put out a hand towards the end table, where there was a small lamp and a coaster. Caleb immediately reacted, hands set a foot apart in front of his chest, distortion showing some kind of force between them. Chase froze, watching Caleb intently.

“Calm down!” Mrs. Kalin said, authority ringing in her voice. “I will not have two guests fighting under my roof. Chase, finish your demonstration.” 

Chase made a pulling gesture, and the coaster moved toward him, only displaced by an inch or two. Chase looked exhausted after, pallor even more intense. He sways on his feet. 

“There, enough. I hope you got what you needed from that, Caleb, because that’s all you’re getting tonight.” Mrs. Kalin spoke, watching as Caleb made his decision.

Caleb relaxed, arms falling to his sides, distortion fading away. “That will do.” 

“Good, now leave.” With that, Mrs. Kalin started helping Chase back to the guest room. 

*&*&*

The drive back, Caleb was silent, face thoughtful. Sarah let him sort his thoughts. 

They stopped at Sarah’s dorm, Caleb braking slow and easy. 

Sarah waited a few seconds, letting Caleb be the first to speak. He didn’t seem inclined, though, so Sarah said, “Thanks for the ride. I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” Caleb said, visibly coming back to the moment. “Maybe we can get together tomorrow and talk? I need a little time.”

“Sure,” Sarah said, and opened the door to the swirling autumn wind.. 

*&*&*

Classes the next day were a mixture of pure tired-slog and panicked finishing of homework Sarah never got to over the weekend. Caleb caught up with her as she walks out of her last hour. 

“I thought we could go to the coffee shop?” He asked.

Sarah nodded, grateful at the chance for caffeine. 

Twenty minutes later, they settled into a cozy booth against an inside wall at least one table away from anyone else, the buzz of conversation a soothing background. Sarah cupped her hands around the warm mug, breathing in the aroma happily. Caleb smiled at her, amused. Sarah smiled back, entirely unembarrassed. 

“So, talking?” Sarah asked.

Caleb nodded, and begins. “Seeing Chase like that. Hearing you say what you did...how you trapped him. It was unnerving. I think I have a right to be angry about you keeping it from me.”

Sarah nodded, sober.

“But I almost don’t have time for that, you know? Except I do, now that Chase is out of the picture. Pogue’s birthday isn’t for a few months. And I need to consider this as an option before my use spirals out of control.” Caleb sighed. “I’ve never known any Ascended who’s lived past 50. It’s just a matter of time.” 

Sarah flinched at the bleak look in his eyes.

“My entire life has been defined by the power. If what you’re saying is true about it being a curse, it’s probably the reason my mom had me in the first place. I was an accident, she’s always said.” Caleb’s smile was regretful, self-knowing.

Sarah waited, nodding.

“I’m not sure I can really imagine what life would be without it, or with a lesser version. It might be a relief? I’ve always been afraid of ending up like my dad. And having the possibility erased would probably make life easier. But it might be like living without electricity. We use it for so much we don’t even realize how much we depend,” Caleb slowed on the word, “on it, until it’s not available.” 

“Sounds more like Reid than you, to me,” Sarah said. “You use more now that you’ve ascended, yes, but...it’s not thoughtless. You’re careful about it.”

Caleb nodded. “It’s always an urge, to use. God, I sound like an addict. But it is always there at the back of my mind. It’s easy to use. It takes a lot of thought and effort not to, now. And I don’t know exactly where the boundary is, is the thing. I reconstructed my car before I ascended, did I ever tell you that?” 

Sarah shook her head.

“I hit a semi on the road. This was during the situation with Chase. I saw it coming at the last second, and powered up, concentrating on coming out of it whole. I couldn’t afford to be hurt or killed. It was a head on collision, Sarah, head on. I remember the impact, the car flying apart, and then my power pulling everything back together. The thing is, the thing is,” he says, waving off Sarah’s noises of alarm, “The thing is, I didn’t feel the urge worsen after that. I was fine. If that kind of power is okay when I wasn’t ascended, what about now? How much do I really have to use to be hooked? Am I already and just...not to the same extent Chase is, was?”

Sarah thought about it. “It could be your motive for using. Magic really does depend on intent. This was self-protection, protection of others. If you’re really worried about it, did you ever not want to use? 

“Wow,” Caleb expression shifted thoughtfully. “I was really curious as a kid. So when it kicked in at 13 I did an experiment with it every day. They’d explained it before it happened, mom and Gorman, because my father never really talked much anyway. I wanted to get a handle on what we could do before the others got theirs. It was half being protective, half wanting to show off, you know? I guess the urge has steadily gotten stronger as I’ve grown up? We do stupid stuff with our powers sometimes. Reid blows skirts up to look at girl’s butts, or jumps off a cliff and softens the landing. Hell, the night you and I met we drove off a cliff and circled ourselves around in the car.” He smiled at the memory, shaking his head. “Landed right behind the cops who were chasing us.”

Sarah looked at him skeptically. 

Caleb laughed, “Yeah, it was really dumb. So, maybe it’s things like that that hook us, you think? Not stuff that is towards helping others.” 

“Maybe, I really don’t know,” Sarah said. “But it’s possible.”

“Yeah,” Caleb sighed, “So, I don’t know if I want my power reduced, and even thinking that makes me doubt myself. How much is it just growing up with it, how much is real, physical dependency?” Caleb scrubbed a hand over his face. 

“We’re not asking you to give it up, you do know that?” Sarah put in. “Chase had to be stopped because he was killing people, and to a lesser degree, doing magic in public, endangering them. You’re aware of the consequences of use, you don’t want more power, or to hurt people, and you’re committed to keeping the pact your families make. You also keep the other boys in line. I mean, ideally, you’d all want to stop the curse now, here, in this generation, but…”

“Reid? Give it up? Not likely.” 

“Exactly. And having you around as a good example-”

Caleb snorted.

“No matter how much you think he doesn’t listen to you, you’re older, a role model. You’d be surprised.”

“Actually, that’s an argument for me to give it up,” Caleb said, realization stealing over his face. “If I go first, having ascended, it’s a way of showing just how committed I am.” He shook his head. “But then I won’t be able to control the others when they ascend. With Pogue’s temper, Reid’s recklessness...there’s no telling what the others will do.”

“Really?” Sarah asked. “You can’t guess?”

Caleb grimaced. “Pogue might follow, if it were presented right. Reid would be hard to convince. The whole idea coming from you might make him see me as whipped.” He rolled his eyes. “Or he might go for it to impress you.” 

“Oh god, I thought he’d given that hope up already…” Sarah groaned.

Caleb smiled. “Reid doesn’t give up easily. And Tyler, well, he’s closest to Reid. But he knows, almost better than we all do, how power corrupts. His dad…” A wince. “It was bad.” 

Sarah raised her eyebrows, cautiously intrigued.

Caleb shook his head. “Ask him. If he wants to tell you he can.” 

“Alright.” Sarah took a drink of her coffee. “So, no decision on giving it up. Although it sounds like you might be in favor?”

“If only for future generations. God, I don’t want to pass this down. I never intended to.” Caleb looked away, suddenly shy. “At least not ‘til I met you. And then it’s kind of weird how fast I started doubting that decision.” He looked up at Sarah, serious and torn. 

She looked back, heart racing. “That is scary. All I got was that you were cute.” 

Caleb snorted a laugh, the moment broken. “Enough of this. Now that I know about your...minor practitioner status, tell me about your family, how you grew up.” 

Sarah considered the question, the context, gave a mental shrug. “I grew up really normally, for a white girl who has liberal, eco-conscious middle class parents, I guess? Except we celebrate Beltane and the other major Wiccan holidays. I never knew it was weird, you know? Then, when I was 12, I got this really disturbing flash about this statue…”


End file.
